Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Award winners to receive access to new vehicle.
From left, Mary Helen Urioste and Sara Hennessy are shocked to see their prize for being named support staff and teacher of the year, respectively, with Clovis Municipal Schools Executive Director of Educator Quality joining in the emotion. Urioste and Hennessy have use of a new vehicle and free fuel until Sept. 30. Future monthly winners will receive vehicle authorizations as part of the new district recognition program.
CLOVIS - Sara Hennessy was happy just to be recognized, but still figured something was coming her way for being last year's Clovis Municipal Schools teacher of the year.
"I was thinking, 'I'm going to get to put up a plaque in my room,'" said Hennessy, thinking of her music classroom in the Arts Academy at Bella Vista.
Guess bigger.
She and Mary Helen Urioste instead got to drive their awards home following the presentation of two new vehicles at the end of CMS' back-to-school convocation ceremony at Marshall Middle School.
The vehicles were revealed to Urioste and Hennessy, who were led out to the Marshall entrance in blindfold by CMS staff, and to the other CMS employees still in the Marshall Auditorium watching a livestream announcing the program.
Urioste is the reigning support staff member of the year.
Through the Hamilton car dealerships - where CMS board member Shawn Hamilton is general manager - monthly winners for support staff and teacher receive a month's worth of access to a new vehicle with fuel provided by the auto seller.
Hennessy and Urioste are authorized the vehicles through Sept. 30 to kick off the program as the yearly winners, and the monthly award winners will then receive vehicle access. Both were floored to be the inaugural recipients of the promotion.
"Oh ... my ... gosh," Urioste said of her reaction to the vehicle.
Urioste has been with the district 26 years, and is currently a family service specialist for the district under its federal programs department.
"I love what I do, I love coming to work," Urioste said.
Mandy Carpenter, CMS' executive director of talent management and development, and staff working on the recognition program did their best over the last few weeks to keep everything a secret. Now they're tasked to pull a 180 and tell as many people as possible because the program encourages public nominations.
Urioste received access to a Toyota RAV4 and Hennessy a Toyota Highlander, each with a decal on the rear window congratulating them for their awards.
That doesn't necessarily mean future monthly winners will be driving those same vehicles.
"We may change out a vehicle as we go," Carpenter said, while noting it is a first-year program and may need tweaking as the year progresses.
