Each year, Mount Pleasant ISD campuses select Employees of the Year. Chosen by their peers, these employees were recognized by the MPISD Board of Trustees at their May 21 meeting and will be honored at the MPISD End-of-Year Breakfast on May 25, 2018.
The Early Head Start Employee of the Year is teacher Crystal Manincor. Prior to coming to work at Early Head Start in 2015, she worked as a nanny in Dallas and at the Holly Hill Day School. She is a graduate of Plano East Senior High School and earned her Childhood Development Associate degree from Collin County Community College in 2014. She is currently enrolled at Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) working on her teaching certificate.
When asked what she likes most about her job, Manincor says “It’s not a job, it’s my family. One of my favorite things is receiving love from my kids, every day. I work with wonderful co-workers who share the same vision I do. My kids do not care what I look like as long as I am here in the morning to greet them and give them the love they deserve.”
The Child Development Center Employee of the Year is Paraprofessional Tomasa Flores. She has been at the CDC for 15 years and has worked as a bus driver for three. She has attended Northeast Texas Community College.
What Flores likes most about her job is “Being a hands-on advocate in children’s development has been one of the most rewarding life experiences I’ve encountered. I’m able to say I love every aspect of my job.”
The Employee of the Year at Annie Sims Elementary School is School Nurse Melissa Compton, RN, BSN. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lamar University in 1999.
Before coming to work for the District in 2017, she worked as an RN at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, as a Public Health Nurse for the City of Garland, as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Immunization Coordinator for North Texas and as a School Nurse for Wylie ISD.
When asked what she likes about her job, Compton said “I enjoy building relationships with students and their families. I also enjoy providing health and wellness education to staff and students. I truly believe that ‘Students must be healthy to be educated and educated to be healthy’.”
The E.C. Brice Elementary School Employee of the Year is Instructional Aide Michelle Isaacson. She has an undergraduate degree in theater from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and advanced degrees from Arizona State University and Ottawa University in Arizona.
Before coming to work for MPISD in 2016, Isaacson was an ELS teacher for 15 years in Columbus, Ohio.
About her job, Isaacson says, “This year I have especially enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to teach an enrichment theater class from grades 1st through 4th. Sharing my passion for theater with students, helping them to make connections between literature and theater, and bringing literature to life is exciting and rewarding.”
The Frances Corprew Elementary School Employee of the Year is PEIMS Clerk Josie Villarreal. She graduated from high school in Laredo, earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Laredo Jr. College and has attended NTCC and Texas A&M-Texarkana.
Since moving to Mt, Pleasant, she has worked at NTCC as an adult education teacher and at Region 8 with the Migrant Program based at Corprew Elementary. She came to work for the District in 1991, working at Corprew as an instructional aide, receptionist, now PEIMS clerk “but always a Migrant Recruiter,” she said.
“I have always enjoyed being able to help others,” Villarreal said when asked what she likes most about her job. “I feel a great satisfaction when I can translate and get the parents and teachers points across.”
The Employee of the Year at Vivian Fowler Elementary School is lead Custodian Rosella Jackson. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1991 and has been with the District since 1993, the only place she has ever worked.
When asked what she likes most about her job, Jackson said, “I love being around great co-workers and a great group of kids every year.”
The Employee of the Year at P.E. Wallace Middle School is Paraprofessional Brenda Gonzalez. She attended school in Mt. Pleasant, starting as Vivian Fowler Elementary and graduating from Mt. Pleasant High School in 2000. She came to work for the District in 2003.
When asked what she likes most about her job, Gonzalez said “Working with the students. Helping them, with their work, teaching them so they can be successful in their future. I also like the people I work with. Most of all I love doing lunch duty and car duty.”
The Mount Pleasant Junior High School Employee of the Year is Receptionist Rebeca Rodriguez. She graduated from the high school in Los Angeles, California and attended East Los Angeles College for two years. Before coming to work for the District in 2016, she worked for Los Angeles Unified School District as a teacher’s aide, for California Children’s Services and as a paralegal.
When asked what she likes about her job, Rodriguez said “Being a positive influence in students’ lives. Sometimes they’re sitting in the office after being in trouble and feel really bad about their behavior, but a few words of encouragement can really help them with decisions. They often come back to thank me for helping them see things differently. It’s the best!”
The Employee of the Year at Mount Pleasant High School is Assistant Principals Secretary Amy Webb. Sher graduated from Rivercrest High School and attended NTCC and Eastfield College. She worked at Republic Band in Downtown Dallas and at the Aviation Office of America at Love Field Airport before coming to work for the District in 2000.
Webb says the best part of her job is the “Students and people I work with.”
“While each of these nine MPISD employees have very different job responsibilities, they share several common traits,” said MPISD Superintendent of Schools Judd Marshall. “They are each dedicated to the education of all children in Mount Pleasant ISD. They love their jobs, love the people they work with, and love the children on their campuses. Mount Pleasant ISD is lucky to have them as employees.”
Pictured: Campus Employees of the Year : Front Row (l-r): Amy Webb, Brenda Gonzalez, Melissa Compton, Tomasa Flores
Back Row (l-r): Rebeca Rodriguez, Rosella Jackson, Josie Villarreal, Crystal Manincor
Not Pictured: Michelle Isaacson