Each Friday, The Gazette salutes those who make Emporia and the surrounding area a better place to live and work. Give these folks a pat on the back ...
EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY baseball player Connor Crumbliss, who was named MIAA player of the year. ESU coach Bob Fornelli was named coach of the year.
• Jami Dakin, who was selected as The Gazette’s Mother’s Day Mom. She won a prize basket of goodies from Sensei Salon, Forget Me Not Productions, Riverside Gardens and the Sweet Granada.
• Susan Rathke, who received the “We Kan” award from the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Rathke is the sales and service coordinator for the Convention & Visitors Bureau.
• Emporia school teachers and support staff who received cash prizes from Hopkins Foundation. $5,000 Star Performer awards went to Carla Fessler, student support specialist, Logan Avenue Elementary School; Barbara Clark, physical education teacher, Emporia Middle School; and Sherry Nelson, physical education teacher, Emporia High School. Jami Dakin and Sunnin Keosybounheuang, health teachers at EMS, each received a $2,500 Star Performer award. Janell Neer, special-education reading coach for the Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative, and Matt Holopirek, physical education teacher at EMS, each received $1,000 Star Performer Awards. WOW awards, which bring $1,000 to each recipient, went to Arnold Chavez, security guard at EMS; Ted Keisler, head custodian at EHS; Donna Russell, teacher aide at Walnut Elementary School; and Julie Smith, head of the bakery for the food service department.
• Sacred Heart School, which celebrated its 125th anniversary.
Chris Walker
Editor & Publisher