Shelly Biggs is our Teacher of the Year. She has passionately taken on the role of ELD teacher and influencer at RHMS. Seeing the need to better support our EL population, she applied for and received a waiver to begin this important work two years ago. With a year of student success under her belt, she studied hard to receive the credential that allows her to continue this undertaking.
Coming from an elementary school setting, she has the compassion to address the SEL needs of middle school aged students, as well as the instructional strategies to be highly effective. Evidence of her skills include the rate at which we exit students from our ELD program.
Shelly is all about Continuous Improvement, modeling the acquisition of student feedback and PDSA cycles that show significant student growth in writing and reading. Her student achievement data is some of the best produced at RHMS.
Shelly is also visible outside of the classroom. She is a member of our Leadership Team, determining next best steps for our site, and she serves as a formal BTSA and informal support to new and veteran teachers alike. She checks in on colleagues, opens her room for peer observations, and brainstorms solutions to complex issues, large and small.
Leesa Kirkish is our Classified Employee of the Year. She works with our most needy population of students. While commitment is necessary, Leesa exudes three more Cs, compassion, calm, and consistency.
Leesa is reliable, supporting the uniqueness of each individual child, and she balances flexibility and firmness so that students are prepared to succeed. She has an empathetic soul and a passion to accentuate the best in every child with whom she works.
Christine Millar is our Volunteer of the Year. She has been an active member of our RHMS PTA Board all three years her son has been enrolled here. Christine exudes the values we aim to leverage here at RHMS, and we are grateful for her positivity and hands-on approach, including volunteering at our Sport-a-Thon, finding ways to enhance promotion, and decorating our Staff Room to brighten our days.
Literally a moment into any conversation with Christine, there is clear evidence that she genuinely cares for our greater Rolling Hills community… its students, its families, and staff.
