APS All Stars Announced for April 2024

APS is excited to announce the April 2024 APS All Stars.

Janis Johnston

Taylor
Caring Outstanding Collaborative Knowledgeable

Ms. Johnston is a team player who genuinely cares about others. She is extremely efficient at what she does and is eager to teach others. I got the chance to work with her, and she is very focused on gathering accurate information and treating everyone with love and respect.

Ms. Johnston constantly is seeking out ways to support our school in other areas. When we rebranded our Taylor Traits, she created and designed our signage and branding around the entire school. She is always looking for ways to make Taylor better, whether it be freshening up our spaces, making our building more welcoming to visitors, or even helping with Halloween costumes in the fall.

There isn’t a day that goes by that Ms. Johnston isn’t busy making phone calls to our families to check up on our students whereabouts or to ensure that all students arrive home safely. In collaboration with our ITC, she completely reworked our dismissal change process. Her vision for the process has streamlined it immensely. Likewise, when faced with the fifth-grade home verification process, she led the way in the county, setting up a system to verify the home addresses efficiently and accurately. Ms. Johnston always gets the job done.

At Taylor we are thankful that she is their first point of contact as they register their new students. She ensures that all of our families are met each day with a smile and care.

She thoroughly deserves this honor as an APS All Star.

Quentin Basil

Dorothy Hamm
Amazing Consistent Easygoing Dependable Patient

Mr. Basil has been at DHMS for five years, and every year, he exceeds our expectations. He is very knowledgeable and will go out of his way to ensure that staff and students are taken care of. He is a quiet force and a great addition to the DHMS community. Mr. Basil works extremely hard and never complains. He is always seen with a smile on his face and a pleasant attitude. We are very lucky to have him here at DHMS. He is truly deserving of this APS All Star award.

Zaria Miller

Shriver
Diligent Efficient Flexible Humble Resourceful

Ms. Miller is Shriver’s fabulous School Base Sub who shows up to work every day and wears many hats within the Shriver community. She supports and connects with the students and staff through her actions of being patient, passionate and positive. When and wherever Ms. Miller is needed during the school day she shows up with a quiet, calm and kindhearted demeanor.

Ms. Miller does a great job planning lessons and providing a positive learning environment that keeps our students on task and engaged. When faced with a challenging situation or a perplexing computer issue, Ms. Miller is the dependable and knowledgeable ally I turn to. Her readiness to assist and her cheerful demeanor always bring a sense of relief and confidence.

Ms. Miller deserves the APS All Star Award because she is the Best of the Best here at APS.

Wes Parker

Oakridge
The first to help always

When walking into Mr. Parker’s class, one feels most welcome and at home. The students in his class clearly feel comfortable with him, yet he also has high expectations for their academics, behavior and character. He demonstrates excellence in the extensive ways he volunteers to help others through mentoring teachers who are new to the profession, serving as a National Board Certification co-facilitator to support candidates going through certification, and opening his room to pre-service teachers as a partnering teacher for field experience. The ease with which Mr. Parker is inclusive with all of his students is remarkable to those observing him, myself included. He asks his students how they can take care of themselves, others, and the place they are in whether it is Oakridge, their home, their environment – whatever it may be. I first met Wes last year as a new APS staff member. Within quite literally the first minute of our meeting, I knew he was a remarkable asset to the teaching profession. In every situation I have encountered Wes, he is the first to pitch in and always has a positive attitude about whatever he is doing. Wes embodies the mission and vision of APS. With his students, Mr. Parker is calm, kind, inclusive, and supportive. With his coworkers at Oakridge and throughout APS, he is equally as calm, kind, inclusive, and supportive. He’s a great person to be around and reminds me personally how joyful teaching is and how each moment spent with children is worthwhile. Mr. Parker, through his daily actions, embodies all that an APS All Star is and I cannot recommend him more emphatically for this honor.

Schirley Soto

Syphax Education Center
Intelligent thoughtful knowledgeable caring

Ms. Soto is the heart and soul of our office. She goes above and beyond to remove obstacles and provide resources to our colleagues. Ms. Soto loves young people and is committed to doing her level best to help those charged with their care and well-being. She can always be counted upon to do whatever is needed to accomplish the mission. No job is too big or too small for her full attention. She has worked diligently to earn her well deserved reputation as a colleague who gets things done in furtherance of the core mission of APS…the advancement of young people. Ms. Soto is the embodiment of an APS All Star.