Congratulations to our 2023 Recognition Award Recipients!

During the Spring Recognition Brunch on June 6, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA recognized a few special people who go above and beyond in service to our community and promotes the well-being and education of children in our district and beyond. Below is this year's Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Awards Recipients. 

Outstanding Advocate - Amelie Fry
​The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community. Northshore Council PTSA’s 2023 Outstanding Student Advocate is Amelie Fry. Amelie has served on Northshore School District’s student board for three years, organized voter registration drives and worked hard to get youth involved in local politics. She has also been in attendance at several School Board meetings, even getting up to speak at some—not an easy task for a teenager to do these days. Amelie has worked with Northshore Council’s mental health and DEI committees, recently presenting at Council’s RARE event. She is also passionate about the arts, having participated in Council’s Reflections program, both as a contestant and for two years as a volunteer judge. This student is dedicated to helping others. Congratulations, Amelie!
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Outstanding Service - Kelly Hennessey
The Outstanding Service Award is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children. This year, the Outstanding Service Award was presented to Kelly Hennessey. Like many other PTA volunteers, Kelly balances a career and family with volunteer work on her local PTA boards as well as other youth sports boards, and does an amazing job in those roles alone. However, there is another role Kelly occupies that has had a major impact on families across the district. For several years, she has been the driving force behind Threads and Treads, a free clothing bank for families in the Northshore School District. Her time is not limited to looking for grants or setting up clothing donation drives; she also coordinates a core group of adult volunteers and organizes youth volunteers throughout the school year to provide a space for students and their families to come “shop” for clothing. The environment she has created has helped families feel welcome and relaxed, it provides a space where people not only shop for clothes but also feel part of a community. Congratulations, Kelly!

​Outstanding Advocate - Juliana Fisher
The Outstanding Advocate Award honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth. Northshore Council PTSA’s 2023 Outstanding Advocate is Juliana Fisher, Northshore School District’s Director of Food Services. Juliana has seen firsthand the benefits of the free lunch for all program last school year for Northshore students and has advocated in Olympia for increased funding. She has also worked to create more varied communication of school lunch menus, including social media and a visual menu that makes the menu more accessible to elementary students and students with disabilities. In addition to her work behind the scenes, Juliana has presented at local PTAs as well as Council to help educate families, provide resources and talk about current legislation in Washington state related to school meals. Congratulations, Juliana!​

Golden Acorn - Mary Khouzam
The Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth. This year's Golden Acorn was presented to Mary Khouzam. The Nominators’ words to describe Mary include compassionate, dedicated, professional and inspiring. Mary has been a staple on the boards of many local PTAs over the years, as well as on Northshore Council PTSA’s board the past three years. She frequently volunteers to be on committees, asking balanced questions and bringing up a fresh perspective to make sure all angles are considered. Mary has created subcommittees to work on proposals put before Council, looking first for perspective or background on the issue at hand and then holding productive, task-based meetings to keep things on point. This year, with no VP of Events, Mary  stepped in to ensure that Council could put on two major events in person for the first time in three years. Congratulations, Mary!

​Outstanding Educator - Cheryl Klemz
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial, and challenging. One of two Outstanding Educator Awards was presented to Cheryl Klemz of Canyon Park Middle School. Cheryl has been teaching secondary school in the Northshore School District for 20 years. She is well-respected by their fellow staff members, having served on several school committees including SDLT, Climate and Culture Committee and more. Cheryl has created a classroom environment where all students feel welcome to share their talents and ideas without ridicule or judgement. Her classroom is a safe space for middle school students to be themselves, with many opting to hang out there during lunch time to hang out, be silly or just to connect with her. Perhaps the best way to summarize her impact is in the words of current and past students. “She is an engaging and enthusiastic teacher. She always told stories and her love of drama made me and others love drama. She was always aware of the students and would pull in anyone who was off by themselves. She let me be myself.” “She is so fun and outgoing! She makes acting on stage so interactive and I never feel anxious with her there!” “She is a truly amazing teacher! Not only does she put up with rowdy middle schoolers but she instructs them and guides them to create fully fledged productions. She inspires and empowers her students to work hard and explore their talents. She wants everyone to get their chance to shine, so much so that she goes through the trouble of managing not one but sometimes more than six different casts for a single show!” Congratulations, Cheryl!  

Outstanding Educator - Christy Lipke
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging. Northshore Council PTSA’s Outstanding Educator Award was also given to Christy Lipke of Woodin Elementary. Christy has been teaching in the Northshore School District for several years. She teaches our youngest learners and creates an experience for these students and their families that welcomes and includes all of them into the school community as well as fosters a love of learning. She utilizes several different communication tools to create a bridge from school to home where everyone feels connected, informed and equipped to help students succeed. Visitors to her kindergarten classroom note that the students are engaged, learning continuously, and are genuinely loved by their teacher. Christy's commitment to her students does not end at the classroom door. She also is active in the school’s PTA, can be seen helping at PTA events, has served as the PTA’s staff liaison and has personally recruited her kindergarten parents involved in PTA leadership. Three words to describe her as a teacher are caring, fun, and dedicated. Congratulations, Christy!

A special thank you to this year's Awards Committee members, Grace Juardo and Melissa Kline.

​Learn more about PTA Recogntion Awards and how your PTA can recognize those who go above and beyond in your school community.