The CCS school board met on April 28 to recognize staff members with twenty, twenty-five, thirty or forty years of service. Among the awarded, history teacher William Ellery said this recognition is impactful for the community. 

“It is important that the general public understands that (teaching) is not necessarily an easy job, but it’s a rewarding job,” Ellery said. “I don’t know the importance to the individual teacher, because you don’t do this job for awards or for recognition. Having said that, it is nice that the district does recognize that there’s a time commitment involved with education.”

Junior Ayumi Yamazaki said there should be more appreciation shown toward staff members.

“It’s very important to appreciate staff members because of how much effort they put into their work inside and outside of school,” Yamazaki said. “They have so many students to look over and have to put in countless hours into their jobs.”

Ellery said the contributions of staff members can be seen through their lengthy commitment. 

“The sense of it is the collective idea that the district is made up of schools,” Ellery said. “Schools are made up of both students and staff, and if somebody’s been in (the district) for a long time, then they have tried to help the collective.”

Similarly, Yamazaki said teachers and other staff members play an imperative role in a district.

“Staff members play such a large role in fostering a sense of community within a school district,” Yamazaki said. “The dedication shown by those who help our district run is inspiring.”

Additional board commentary from the meeting can be accessed via the CCS Youtube channel.