Congratulations to our employees recently recognized by their programs/departments as Mission Makers! Your dedication to our mission, vision, and values is highlighted through your work everyday!
Meet our December Mission Makers:
Amber Barrett, Ed Tech, SPPS Westbrook. Amber was nominated by her peers for being such a strong new addition to the SPPS team. She is truly a natural at this work and it has been a blast to watch her with our students. She jumped right in with no hesitation, always asking for feedback and striving to learn more to do the best that she can for the kiddos. She maintains a professional and kind demeanor at all times, handling even the most challenging times with grace and a positive outlook. She is able to hold strong boundaries while remaining flexible and supportive. She has a remarkable ability to set clear expectations for students in a way that is both respectful and empowering. From the second she started she was a favorite with the children and she continues to connect and communicate in such a genuine and unique way with each of them. She works hard to validate their thoughts and opinions while also reinforcing the importance of school rules designed to create a safe environment where every student can thrive. You are awesome, Amber. Thank you for showing up every day with a smile on your face. We are lucky to have you!
Whitney Brown, Senior Coordinator of Transition, BHH. Whitney has been a valuable member of the BHH team for 11 years working with consumers transitioning from children’s services to adult services. While this can be a worrisome moment for families, Whitney’s guidance and advocacy are truly commendable, always going above and beyond. Whitney also recently supported her 200th consumer during this transition. BHH and Woodfords is lucky to have Whitney as our face of transition services.
Erin Demers, Senior BCBA, Pineland. Erin is an amazing and helpful BCBA. She is quick to support any classroom with challenging behaviors when called on. She gives great suggestions and helps staff be successful when dealing with difficult situations. She is a wealth of knowledge and has a great sense of humor. Erin is a wonderful sounding board and is supportive to staff and students through some of the most challenging moments. She listens thoroughly and has thoughtful input working towards solutions based on logic and her expertise. We appreciate all she does for our school!
Camille Seo, Program Manager, HCT & RCS. Camille transitioned from her role as a Program Manager in our HCT program to having the same role in our newly re-opened RCS Southern Maine Program. Camille has been working hard to establish positive and professional relationships with the families and staff within this program. Camille has strong communication skills and is a self-directed individual. Her passion for supporting those she supervises is evident in her day in and day out work. She is dedicated to the work that she does and we are so lucky to have her helping lead this program with enthusiasm. We are incredibly grateful for her!
Sam Seeley, BHP, Central ME. Sam is Mission Maker in the Bangor schools. Sam deserves this recognizing due to her excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to advocate for herself and her consumer. Sam had a period where she was between consumers and was able to jump in and learn several other programs as well as cover some shifts when staff were out sick. Her consumers all enjoy working with her, and she regularly communicates with her BCBA regarding anything unusual that may happen during the day. Sam also brings consistent performance to work every shift and her consumers all have made great progress. She has been able to learn how to take strong data quickly which greatly helps in determining treatment targets and intervention strategies. We are all so lucky to have her working at Woodfords!
Sabrina Stoehr, Assistant Lead Teacher, SPPS Pineland. Sabrina is a very skilled ed tech in our program. She does a phenomenal job pairing with each student she works with and helping them have a successful day. She is supportive in her classroom as well as any rooms she subs in. She has a hilarious sense of humor and a contagious laugh. She is organized and efficient and always willing to jump in where additional support is needed. Even on tough days, she maintains a “We’ve got this” attitude. We are so thankful for all of the hard work she puts in for our school. We appreciate you, Sabrina!
Jennifer Valdez, Lead Teacher, Westbrook ECS. Jenn was nominated by her peers for really stepping up her game this past month in leading the classroom. After a recent programmatic change, she dove head first into revamping and reorganizing the learning environment for both her students and staff. She has worked so hard to ensure her classroom is set up for success, creating fun new spaces and targets that are hands on and engaging in order to extend learning in a natural way. With all of these additions, she has done a wonderful job outlining details and expectations not only for her teachers but also for providers associated with the room. This has resulted in productive wrap around instruction style, bringing so many wins to the team both big and small. With these wins there of course have also been challenges but Jenn has done a great job turning these times into teachable moments for her staff. She has gone above and beyond to step in and model, lead groups, and build strong individual relationships with her students. She works hard to continue to grow and learn as a special educator in the field and is such a dedicated member of our team. Thank you for all that you do, Jenn. We are so lucky to have you!