"Heather’s commitment to the students and the program goes beyond daily expectations." "She willingly undertakes any task that will lessen the load of her fellow teachers, will improve the educational growth of her students, and will contribute to the overall success of the EDCO/ESIS school program." "She has the ability to see what needs to be done and, without urging or fanfare, she sees that it is done." "Heather’s innovation has had direct benefits to the overall educational program offered in the unit." With the help of a peer, "Heather was instrumental in initiating a student council for the students. As a result of her efforts, the students have participated in many successful service learning activities." "Heather has also directed a school chorus in which she chose all the songs, rehearsed the students, and organized concerts." "Both the student council and the chorus are electives that the students have been enjoying for years thanks to Heather’s involvement and dedication." "She is a certified Wilson Reading teacher, putting in many hours beyond her scheduled work time to become certified" and as a result "she has been able to help two to three students each year to raise their reading scores by three to four grade levels." "Heather teaches the students values and the art of giving through direct teaching and by example."

"Jeanne Davidson is a life-long learner who every month drives 64 miles one way to the district office for professional development workshops. There was never an expectation for Jeanne to participate in these trainings because they occurred after her part-time hours and the distance and the time she would need to invest in travel alone. Jeanne wanted to be involved." "Each time I went to her classroom after a workshop, I continuously witnessed examples of how Jeanne was sharing the information from the trainings with her students and the County House of Correction facility." "She is dedicated to the EDCO Collaborative’s mission. She continuously provides high quality education to her at-risk students by offering them access to the general curriculum. She enhances equity intercultural understanding and equal opportunity through stimulating interdisciplinary thematic units that have involved people from the community." "Jeanne makes things happen for her students by sharing her talents, participating in workshops and trainings, by not making excuses for why she is unable to implement Education Reform in a small space, by setting standards for herself and her students, and by teaching community inside a jail." "Jeanne is a consummate professional."

"When Liam first started teaching at the County House of Correction he realized that it was impossible to get the Local Education Agencies to take responsibility for students that left their school district prior to their arrest. Because they were not able to write IEPs for the students, students were prevented from earning credits toward a High School Diploma for the work they were doing in the classroom." "Through the cooperation of the County House Warden and the Sheriff’s office, Liam developed a system where the students now receive credit for the work they complete in his classroom and they can continue to receive education services and work toward a High School Diploma after their release from the facility." "Liam has taken it upon himself to ensure that all eligible inmates receive special education services." "Liam is passionate about the connection between education and inmate rehabilitation. He gives students hope for a brighter future." "He has done all of this extra work and put in all of these extra hours in his quiet, dedicated manner." "Liam is a superior example of outstanding performance. He has demonstrated the capacity to see a problem and initiate working in a cooperative manner to develop appropriate solutions." ‘Liam is an asset to the EDCO Collaborative and the teaching profession."

"What makes Marlene stand out in the very difficult job of Community Liaison is, first of all, her exceptional interest and involvement in the lives of her clients. She knows all of her families’ names, the kids’ names" and "constantly volunteers for any kind of event that involves the participation of the families." "Marlene is a highly independent worker who is accomplished at her job. She enjoys and flourishes as a Community Liaison because she is the kind of person who can make a multitude of decisions for herself. At the same time, where collaboration is called for, she is very creative (lots of ideas) and cooperative, objective, and fun to work with." "Recruiting requires a lot of persistence particularly because most of the year’s recruiting takes place during a specific season, the spring, when the workload increases exponentially as the migrant families move back to our area to look for farm jobs. She spends many hours on the phone during this period of time, making appointments with families, listening to them and their concerns, and offering advice or help ." "Marlene is genuinely committed to helping her clients."

"It would be difficult to nominate just one member of this team, as it is the group that has made education a success at the Westwood Lodge Children’s Program. They all contribute their unique qualities and make a powerful and successful team." "Dana is an outstanding educator with clear, consistent goals for students and staff." "She has improved communication with the unit, continues to work on reasonable compromises to problems, and upholds outstanding expectations for the students." "Jayne is compassionate and caring. Her positive spirit often brings balance to a sometimes volatile environment." "Debbie has played a vital role in the success of the program. Her calm manner has a way of touching students and keeping things under control." "Teresa is a natural with the students, often taking over the classroom in a teacher’s absence." "Jennifer is caring and confident with the students. She remind cognizant of the fact that the students are little children and need to play and be nurtured." " According to the administration of the Westwood Lodge Children’s Program, this is the best year the school has had in the history of the program. It can only be attributed to this team." Even as the residential component and the physical plant continue to experience problems, "they continue to rally and provide high quality education to their young students."

"Eileen’s strong leadership is evidenced by her ability to provide an environment that permits open dialogue and an opportunity for people to develop collegiality and trust. She has the capacity to work with diverse groups and shows great respect for each individual in the group." "Eileen is always looking to discover positive reforms in education, new ideas, and stimulating programs to enhance learning and staff development." "Eileen has the ability to organize and focus on the important things, to think things through from the beginning to the end, and to see issues from multiple perspectives. She always arrives at unique solutions and has the vision to lead with intelligence and strength." "Eileen never seeks accolades nor does she look for encomiums. Instead she looks to recognize the contributions made by the people that have shared the endeavor." "Her leadership style is directed by her deeply held values of people learning and working in a collaborative setting." "We work in a people-centered office with our priorities for teamwork ever present. Eileen has set this leadership style. It is her compassionate nature valuing the individual, her commitment to her work, the striving for excellence that we use as our role model."