Over the past several months, the Northshore Council PTSA Board of Directors has discussed the most effective way to restructure some of our positions in order to more effectively meet our goals. Over the years, we have realized that the scope of desired work in those positions was too big for one person. The board felt that the work encompassed by these positions would be best served by a committee, inviting multiple voices to join together in support of our local PTAs. At our September 16th membership meeting, two new committees were established. The two new committees are Outreach and Inclusion, with the chair from each committee being a voting member of our Council Board of Directors.

​Outstanding Educator Award
​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 this year goes to Renee Nicholas from Frank Love Elementary.
Renee teaches with passion, competency and empathy. During covid she routinely drove to students’ homes to leave off supplies and little gifts, building a beautiful connection with kids even when they could not be in person, remembering their siblings too. Thoughtful is an under exaggeration when it comes to describe Renee, she is loving, kind, caring and a true mentor for her students. When it comes to giving positive encouragement, I am amazed how she does it even when kids can have 'bumps' as she describes. Renee has been known to write 3-page letters for multiple students’ reports detailing their strengths, accomplishments and positive supportive feedback. She is truly exceptional. She has been teaching at Frank Love Elementary School since it opened and has trained many staff and administrators to be successful in their roles. Even in her last few weeks of school she is all in, guiding students to do their best academically and socially. She truly believes in helping kids be the best version of themselves.
Three words to describe her are exceptional, dedicated and patient.
Congratulations, ​Renee!

Outstanding Educator Award
Our second Outstanding Educator award goes to a teacher nominated for his exceptional work as a music educator. The learning environment he has created is second to none, he has a magnetic personality and is a teacher extraordinaire, which shows in every way possible but especially in the way that the students look up to and respect him while they work hard for their common goal of creating a great music experience. This teacher instills confidence in his students and empowers them to explore their passion and to expand their skills under his thoughtful guidance and encouragement. He is the kind of teacher which some of us are lucky enough to encounter in our formative school years and later will recognize and think of as the one teacher that truly made a difference for our growth and willingness to do our very best. He enables a safe, respectful, supportive and highly productive learning environment, goes the extra mile in class, during concert performances and in giving all students opportunities to showcase their talents. This teacher doesn’t just rock his job during the school day, but he comes to school early to teach jazz band before school starts and the students willingly show up at school at 7 am to spend time learning from and with him because they see the potential in what comes of this kind of respectful and giving student-teacher relationship.
Three words to describe this person are dedicated, impactful, and cherished by his students.
Our second Outstanding Educator Award goes to Cole Van Gerpen of Canyon Park Middle School. Congratulations!

Outstanding Student Advocate Award
The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Our recipient of this award this year has been involved in ASB the past few years, but her advocacy goes beyond work in student government. This student was also actively involved in advocating for youth mental health the past few years, having written a book on the subject, created “Emotion” cards and hosted Mental Health fairs. This student is currently partnering with the Northshore School District on the Mental Health projects, one of which is the launch of Nexus, an online platform that provides self-support to students using vetted strategies and peer talks, available 24/7 to all NSD students.
Three words to describe this student are good-hearted, ambitious, well-meaning.
Our Outstanding Student Advocate this year is Taanvi Arekapudi. Congratulations!

Golden Acorn Award 
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 recipient has been involved in local PTAs at all levels, as well as Council. She is also involved with and supports local community organizations. In addition to her role on Council she frequently volunteers for committees and puts a lot of time into events such as Spring Recognition and the Presidents and Principals event. She is always willing to lend a hand when someone needs a graphic or flyer or tech help. Her work on Council directly resulted in at least two of the awards Council received from WSPTA last month. As if putting out a bi-weekly newsletter wasn’t already a lot for a volunteer position, imagine how un-fun that must be when people constantly forget to send her material for the newsletter despite her very clear communication of deadlines :P. Our community has benefited from her work as she is constantly finding resources, parent education classes, and community events to share about in our communications. As the VP of Communications, she not only creates and publishes our newsletter, but also manages our website and social media accounts. She is a Communications Rock Star.
Three words that describe this person are dependable, creative, and knowledgeable
This year’s recipient of the Golden Acorn award from Northshore Council PTSA is Jennifer Snyder. ​Congratulations!

Honorary Life Membership Award​
The Honorary Life Membership Award recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level.
This year’s recipient of the Honorary Life Membership Award has served at every local level of PTA, in addition to her four years on Council and two years at the Region level. She can be seen at almost every Council event, and frequently volunteers for various committees. She has been a wonderful resource to our PTAs, willing to jump in and support new Presidents in their roles. If she doesn’t have the answer to a question, she will find an answer for people. In her first Council position, she stepped into giant shoes to fill, as the previous VP of Communications had set a high bar. This person raised the bar. She is always so thorough, well-organized and knowledgeable in her communications. In her current role as Council President, this person has brought a lot of energy to Council meetings and events. She also strives to ensure that all perspectives are heard and understood before moving on to a vote. She has challenged Northshore Council board members to look at additional ways we can serve our local PTAs, as well as gathering resources and information from not only PTA sources, but also from the district and the community. Under this person’s leadership, Northshore Council PTSA recently received the Outstanding PTA of the Year award from Washington State PTA.
Three words to describe this person are energetic, knowledgeable, and motivating.
This year’s recipient of Honorary Life Membership Award from Northshore Council PTSA is Rachel Fitzgerald. Congratulations!​

Outstanding Advocate Award
Northshore Council PTSA’s Outstanding Advocate this year is Terra Droney. 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. Terra has had a district-wide reach in their advocacy this year. She was a founding member of the NSEC PTSA, serving as Co-President in its inaugural year. She also does a lot of work with the Nourishing Networks organization to build connections with NSD to combat food insecurity, as well as advocated in the community for affordable housing and other supports to those in need. In her role as Co-VP of Advocacy for Council, this person further supported our community by helping to organize the Candidate Forum and Focus Day.
Three words to describe this person are committed, involved, and compassionate.
Congratulations, Terra!

,Outstanding Service Award
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’s recipient of the Outstanding Service Award has been very involved in PTA and Booster groups at their children’s school and has served on NSD task forces for Student Safety and Wellness as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but what she is most known for is her desire to help students and families with disabilities. After spending a couple years as the Special Ed Representative/Liaison on Council, this person saw a bigger way that she could help students with disabilities and their families. She was the driving force of getting the NSEC PTSA chartered and has spent a lot of time to make sure that this new PTSA is set up for success both as a PTSA and as a resource to help families and students who need it. She has established a connection with district administration (especially with those who oversee Special Education services), and has set up monthly meetings (starting over 2 years ago) with the current administrator in charge of Special Education to better understand district plans for serving Special Education students, and to act as a communication bridge between the district and families concerning policies and procedures, etc. While this person may seem soft spoken, she is an outstanding advocate who has given countless hours to help make a better Northshore community for our students.
Three words to describe this person are dedicated, determined and effective.
Northshore Council PTSA’s 2024 Outstanding Service Award recipient is Laura Staneff. ​Congratulations!