Jackie Joiner

The faculty and staff of Covington Pathways is proud to recognize Mrs. Eden Millet as an Outstanding School Support Employee for the High School Division.  Mrs. Millet is extremely helpful and meticulous in her work.  She is very compassionate, patient and organized.  She works well with students and faculty alike.  Mrs. Millet is punctual and very polite with our students.  She works hard with everything she does.  There is no limit to what she will not do to assist others.  We are proud to nominate Mrs. Eden Millet as our high school division outstanding school support employee nominee.

The outstanding Elementary School Support Employee at Covington Pathways for the 2006-2007 school year is Mrs. Denise Cyprian.  Mrs. Cyprian has been a Para-professional in the St. Tammany Parish School System for ten years.  She began her career at Mandeville Middle School working as a Para-educator with severe /profound students.  In order to work with severe/profound students, Mrs. Cyprian went above and beyond the call of duty by teaching herself sign-language.  This selfless act was an inspiration and a motivation for others to do the same. Mrs. Cyprian is exceptionally reliable and supportive to everyone.  This has been proven by her  eight years of dedication at Covington Pathways.  She is an extremely conscientious person and a hard worker.  Mrs. Cyprian has worked with students in elementary, as well as, high school.  She has been blessed with a gift to be able to reach children of all ages.  This rapport extends even further to peers and parents.  New Para-professionals are drawn to Mrs. Cyprian due to her warmth, friendliness and experience. Mrs. Cyprian has been very involved while at Pathways.  She has worked on the Discipline Committee for eight years.  She has been involved with Non-Violent Crisis Intervention committees.

Ms. Karen Polk is the Teacher of the Year nominee for 2007-08 at Covington Pathways.  She comes to St. Tammany Parish Schools with 29 years of experience with a Mater’s Degree plus 30 hours in Special Education.  Karen has always worked in an Alternative setting.  She has taught all subjects at the middle school level and pre-algebra at the high school level.  During her tenure she has served on a vast number of committees, and has been a mentor to several teachers.  Since coming to Covington Pathways, Karen has implemented the FISH philosophy, CHAMPS, and the Guaranteed Curriculum in her classroom.   Her plans are to keep improving on the tools provided to her by the parish.

Albert Schweitzer, a man that dedicated his entire life to helping mankind said, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” Dr. Schweitzer was describing Ms. Jackie Henry when he offered his ideas on what is kindness. Jackie Henry is a master gardener planting the seeds of kindness wherever she touches.

Ms. Jackie has worked throughout the school system in Covington; but when she substituted at Covington Pathways she knew that she found children that really needed her. From the first day, she cultivated and nourished kindness. She often refers to the students as Little Angels and gives them needed time and kindness. Ms. Jackie is blessed with abundant patience; when she works with a student it is as if time has stopped and calm envelopes their circle with kindness.

Ms. Jacki believes that her greatest contribution to Covington Pathways is one of her Little Angels is having a hard moment and she works to talk to them, to calm them down and listen to what they have to say. She believes this is the key to working with students at all schools; showing them love and assurance that what they say is important. Students seek Ms. Jackie whenever they need to express a concern or share a story of personal success. Ms. Jackie’s greatest reward is when a student returns to a regular campus and the reports come that they are doing wonderful.

Throughout our school and her neighborhood Ms. Jackie is a model of what everyone should strive to emulate. The kindness and caring that she shares as Schweitzer described can accomplish much. We are all blessed by Ms. Jackie and the seeds she plants will bear abundant fruit forever.