Leah Paddack, Denise Quesenberry Named Employees of the Month

Lead 5th grade teacher Leah Paddack and lead custodian Denise Quesenberry were recognized as Employees of the Month at the Thursday, November 10 meeting of the Lucerne Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees.

 

Both were presented their awards by Superintendent Peter Livingston and congratulated by the board, followed by a group photo.

 

Leah Paddack, who is this month’s Certificated Employee of the Month, has made a tremendous difference in the lives of students, Mr. Livingston said.

 

“Leah has served as a teacher for 11 years at Lucerne Valley Elementary,” he said, quoting from her nomination letter. “She is truly a teacher who loves working with our older students and she has a special talent for creating close relationships with them. Students in Mrs. Paddack’s class know the expectations for behavior and academics and strive to meet them. 

 

“Leah has led the 5th grade team for the last two years and has worked with new teachers to become part of a cohesive and collaborative grade level team. Last year, she led her team to impressive CAASP Scores.”

 

Here is a quick comparison to the Lucerne Valley Elementary School 5th grades ELA and Science scores for Meeting/Exceeding standards compared to San Bernardino County as a whole: 

 

• ELA - LVES 63.16% vs. SB County- 39.93%
• Science – LVES 67.97% vs, SB County – 24.42% 

 

Mrs. Paddack has also volunteered to Coach Soccer at the Middle School/High School for the last two years and she brings her love for the game here to the elementary, coaching Soccer during Friday electives.

 

Each year she organizes the STEM bridge building challenge where the students team up to research, design and build bridges and then compete to see which team’s bridge can hold the most amount of weight. All of our students love watching the challenge and Leah makes it special for them by handing out medals and trophies to the top three teams.

 

Mrs. Paddack also organizes the 5th grade Science Camp, which is another activity that the students look forward to all year long. This year, Mrs. Paddack was super excited to become our Assemblies Coordinator and she quickly planned our first whole group assembly with a Magician with an anti-bullying message that the kids all enjoyed. 

 

“We are grateful for Mrs. Paddack’s willingness to take on new challenges and to be a mentor and collaborative teammate to our new 5th grade team. Her commitment to our students and their social and educational needs are what led us to choose her as our November employee of the month!”

 

“Denise truly excels in every facet of her job as the district’s ‘Lead’ custodian,” Superintendent Livingston said, quoting her nomination letter from LVMHS administrators. “She is among the highest performing employees in the district. She is detailed-oriented, hard-working, and a go-getter. She has tremendous follow-up to every situation and is proactive in getting the job done.

“Denise is also a tremendous leader. She can motivate and inspire, train, and facilitate employee growth. She's always willing to do whatever it takes in order to get the job done and to make the Lucerne Valley Unified School District organization a better place. 

 

“Denise firmly believes that all people should be treated as valued members of the team and the district. She has helped many people to have a sense of responsibility not only to themselves but to the entire custodial department. 

 

“Denise treats all people in a friendly, equal manner and receives the same from each member of the custodial team. Department members respond well in her presence. Her effectiveness is reflected in the high level of accountability and production of the custodial department.”

 

In conclusion, Mr. Livingston said it has become apparent that she possesses the following qualities of excellence: 

 

• Dedication
• Passion for helping
• High Standards
• Fairness
• Care in meeting the goals of the department
• Commitment
• Leadership