2021 MCPS Support Employee Excellence Awards
April 30, 2021 -- Manassas City Public Schools celebrates support employees who go beyond the call of duty to help others through the Support Employee Excellence Awards. Annually, the award is given to an employee that optimizes academic performance and student success while also cultivating a culture of excellence. The nominees and winners of the 2021 Support Employee Excellence Award were announced during the school board meeting April 27, 2021. Ten employees were nominated for the award. However, following a year unlike any other, it was the year of the school nurse. Both Lysbeth Boltz, school nurse of Baldwin Elementary School and Baldwin Intermediate School, and Nurse Kelly Schetselaar, of Haydon Elementary School, were named Support Employee Excellence Award winners.
Boltz serves as the school nurse for both Baldwin Elementary and Intermediate schools, serving students in grades pre-K through 6. Those who nominated her said “She is an essential part of our school efforts to provide the safest environment for both our staff and students.”
She is described as being exceptionally organized, kind and knowledgeable. In the past year, Boltz continued to perform her daily duties with excellence while also taking on COVID safety measures and adjusting to nursing duties during distance and hybrid learning. Staff said her actions ensure that the organization as a whole is not only efficient but person-centered.
“Not only did she take the lead on mitigation efforts, contract tracing and communication related to public health, Nurse Boltz went above and beyond to make sure that students who were impacted by COVID-19 still had the materials and devices needed to continue distance learning,” someone wrote in a letter of support. “Nurse Boltz delivered books, computers and hotspots to students’ homes so they could maintain quarantine directives.”
She is known for going the extra mile and exemplifies excellence in each task she undertakes, making her worthy of such an honor.
Haydon’s Kelly Schetselaar is known by staff and students as “Nurse Kelly.” Her coworkers said she not only cares for students’ health, but she is quick to step in and help with other duties around the school, always providing excellent customer service.
“Although Nurse Kelly has not been able to see many students in the building this year, she has continued to connect with families to ensure that students are well and ale to participate in school,” read a letter of support.
When a staff member is sick, she will follow-up with them to check on how they’re doing often in the evenings or on weekends. She was integral to making sure safety measures were followed over the past year and those extended beyond the clinic walls.
“She jumped into action to collaborate with the custodians to make sure things were in place for students’ return,” a coworker wrote. “Additionally, Nurse Kelly helped arrange the desks in classrooms, identified appropriate spacing in the cafeteria and helped teachers figure out how to set up their classrooms.”
When she saw students in need, she worked with community members to obtain coats, masks, mittens, socks and food, often volunteering on the weekends to make sure families received what they needed. Furthermore, Schetselaar helped deliver Christmas gifts to a family.
Boltz and Schetselaar each received a beautiful plaque, gift certificates from Ashton Family Restaurant and a banner that will hang at their respective schools for one year.