Ms. Beverly Singleton, a special education paraprofessional at Fritsch Elementary School in Carson City, was one of only two school employees nominated by Gov. Joe Lombardo to represent Nevada in the national selection process for the Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award.
Each state was invited to nominate up to two outstanding employees for selection of a national honoree by the U.S. Department of Education.
The RISE Award, established by Congress in 2019 and overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, honors classified school employees who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school. Classified employees include paraprofessionals, clerical and administrative staff, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, security services, health and student services, technical services and skilled trades.
The selection process for the RISE Award involved nominations from local educational agencies, school administrators, professional associations, labor organizations, educational service agencies, nonprofit entities, parents and students. The Nevada Department of Education reviewed these nominations and forwarded finalists to the Governor’s office for final selection.
On average, an educator’s career spans around 15 years. Beginning her career at Fritsch Elementary in 1984, Ms. Beverly Singleton is entering her 40th year in education at the same school. If you calculate the years she has dedicated to her school and the number of students she has worked with and impacted, it would be in the thousands.
“It’s rare that someone stays at one school for so long and has managed to cultivate relationships with hundreds of staff members over the years,” said Gina Hoppe, vice principal at Fritsch Elementary School. “There is not one staff member who doesn’t value the work that Beverly does, and the staff members who have been able to work closely with her over the years have been lucky to benefit from her hard work and dedication.”
Ms. Singleton is a strong advocate for the students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in the classroom. When she sees they are struggling with the curriculum as it is being taught according to that grade level’s standards, she refers back to their accommodations and makes sure the students are receiving those accommodations. She will support all students in the classroom, not just those on an IEP. She knows many different strategies for solving problems and she will show the students (and teachers sometimes) a new way to solve problems.
“At Fritsch Elementary, one of the skills we pride ourselves on is building relationships,” said Principal Dan Brown. “Bev is the exemplar of this regarding students and staff. When assigned to her Special Education students, the first thing she does is make sure she has a strong relationship with the students. She builds a bond with them before she communicates the expectations. Her students and her colleagues respect and appreciate her.”
In addition to Ms. Bev Singleton, Vyron Wallace, a campus security monitor at Foothill High School in Clark County School District, was also nominated.
Governor Lombardo chose Nevada’s nominees from a pool of five finalists selected by the Nevada Department of Education based upon nominations made by school communities across the state. The selection process was anonymous, with all identifying information redacted so that the merit of each nomination could be determined.
Nominees demonstrated excellence in the following areas: work performance; school and community involvement; leadership and commitment; local support (from co-workers, school administrators, community members, etc., who speak to the nominee’s exemplary work); and enhancement of classified school employees’ image in the community and schools.
“I am incredibly proud of our Nevada RISE Award winners and finalists,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Their passion and dedication to serving students over their long tenures is inspirational, and they are so deserving of this national recognition.”
The other three finalists included Mele Kingston, director of food services for the White Pine County School District; Carrie Luna, school health assistant at C.C. Ronnow Elementary School in Clark County School District; and Kathy Trujillo, grants manager for the Mineral County School District.
