Teacher Carissa Brander and staff member Gaby Guerrero received their Employee of the Month plaques during the school board meeting on March 13. Pictured, from left, Superintendent Peter Livingston, board members Tom Courtney and Jessica Risler, Carissa Brander, Gaby Guerrero, board president Chelsea LaGrange, vice-president Jason Hansen, and board member Jim Harvey. Photo by Olga Fisher
Lucerne Valley Elementary School third grade teacher Carissa Brander and Maintenance and Operations and LVES ASB organizer Gaby Guerrero were recognized as the District’s Employees of the Month at the Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday.
Superintendent Peter Livingston presented the awards and the school board congratulated the honorees followed by photos.
Certificated - Carissa Brander
“Carissa is one of our fabulous 3rd grade teachers and is a product of Lucerne Valley and LVUSD,” said Mr. Livingston, quoting LVES administrators. “Carissa is an amazing teacher and always goes above and beyond for her students and teammates. In fact, Carissa is the person who began following the Ron Clark Academy online. She enlisted Mrs. Klinger to go with her to RCA for the first time, which led to admin and a small RCA Leadership group going to Atlanta the following year.”
Carissa’s tenaciousness lead to the implementation of the RCA House System for 3rd through 6th grades, and the school is seeing tremendous change occurring at the elementary. “We are thankful that Carissa was inspired to bring RCA to LVES and because of her initiative we will be taking 30 staff members to the Ron Clark Academy over summer! We have witnessed Miss Brander implement RCA teaching strategies in her class with 3rd grade students and we are excited to have the majority of our teachers onboard and willing to learn how to also become 1% better each day.”
Besides RCA, Carissa is the school’s Drama Club director and works very hard to help students put on awesome presentations each year.
“So many students wanted to be a part of drama club that we had to have two separate casts to accommodate the amount of students. This is a true testament to how our culture has improved, and student engagement and involvement are soaring.
“Thank you Miss Brander for all you do to make your alma mater a great place for our Lucerne Valley elementary kids to attend! We appreciate you and this is a very well-deserved honor.”
Classified - Gaby Guerrero
“We are thrilled to recognize Gaby Guerrero as our Classified Employee of the Month!” said Gaby’s nominators. “She has gone above and beyond in learning a new position while excelling in organizing both the Maintenance and Operations Department and our school sites’ ASB. Her dedication, adaptability, and strong work ethic have made a significant impact in ensuring smooth operations. Gaby is always willing to lend a helping hand, works seamlessly with colleagues, and exemplifies what it means to be a true team player.
“Her positive attitude and commitment to excellence do not go unnoticed. We appreciate all that she does to support our staff and students! Congratulations, Gaby and thank you for your outstanding contributions!”