St. Johns School District names its School-Related Employee of the Year

 The following is from a news release sent out by the St. Johns County School District on March 17:

Lisa Burney, administrative secretary/bookkeeper at Osceola Elementary School (OES), has been named St. Johns County’s 2007-2008 School-Related Employee of the Year. Her selection was announced by Superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner at a special reception held Thursday evening at First Coast Technical College.

Ms. Burney was selected from among 37 nominees for her exemplary job performance, dedication, interpersonal skills, leadership ability, training to upgrade skills and contributions to the school and district environment.

Ms. Burney has been employed by the St. Johns County School District since 1985. She has held the same position at OES for the past 14 years and is affectionately known as “Mama B” to the students and staff members she works with every day. This is the third time her colleagues have tried to nominate her for this award but she has always declined the honor in the past.

OES Principal Nancy Little says, “Lisa is the glue that helps keep us together. What makes her so special is the ‘heart’ she brings to our school. Lisa is masterful at establishing relationships and building trust, and her positive attitude and wonderful sense of humor never disappear, even in the toughest situation.”

In addition to her strong interpersonal skills, Ms. Burney is always seeking to upgrade her abilities, exemplifying the lifelong learning that is part of the school district mission. She has kept up with the latest technological advances and has become the “go to” person at her school. She also lends her photographic and singing talents to the school during special events.

This year’s winner says that her greatest accomplishments are not recorded on plaques or hung on a wall but are the knowledge that she helped someone or made someone smile.   

This year the judges also presented a runner-up award, which was given to Carole Gauronskas of Ketterlinus Elementary School. Known as the “Energizer Bunny, Ms. Gauronskas is a dedicated parent, PTO member, SAC member, parent liaison, volunteer coordinator, computer resource teacher, newsletter editor, traffic control and safety patrol coordinator.

Ms. Burney’s name has now been forwarded to the regional level of competition, and she will be recognized at the April 8 School Board meeting.