APS All Stars Announced for January 2024

APS is excited to announce the January 2024 APS All Stars. Nominate an APS All Star.

Lorena Henriquez

Trades Center – (Maintenance/Bus/Transportation/Facilities)
Kind generous caring thoughtful amazing

There are simply not enough words to describe how amazing Ms. Henriquez is. I am utterly floored by her kindness every day. She is the reason my two kids feel comfortable on the bus, she looks out for them, takes care of them and loves them like I do. She’s the reason they bound out the door at 6:45 am when it’s cold and dark; she lights up the morning for them. She’s the reason they step off the bus each day after a long day of school with smiles on their faces and laughter; she brings them joy, lifts them, makes them laugh and truly cares about them. Ms. Henriquez watches out for them like I would, she lets me know when she thinks one of them isn’t feeling well, or is sad about something. I am blown away by the way she cares for, loves and values our children — and not just mine, each family in our neighborhood feels the same way about her, too.
She makes them laugh, makes them feel comfortable, cheers them up when they feel sad, celebrates with them when they have something to be proud of and watches over them when they need the strength of a caring adult — in short, she loves them as if they are her very own children. Every single day, when I ask my kids something they are grateful for in their day, they say “Ms. Lorena.”
I cannot describe to you how above and beyond she goes for our children each day. She is a light in our lives, a guardian angel for our children and we appreciate her so much more than she’ll ever know.

Amy Burd

Abingdon
Caring responsive collaborative creative trusted

Ms. Burd is a rock-star educator. She gets to know each of her students and incorporates and invites in the community of families to be a part of the learning journey in her 3rd-grade classroom. She is responsive to the needs of all students and advocates for them. She works in collaboration with other staff members such as the GT resource teacher to learn and provide critical and creative challenging opportunities for her students. She is willing to try new things. Ms. Burd stays late daily and engages with her students by showing them she cares about their likes and interests outside of school. She came to see my daughter perform in The Nutcracker and invited me to an outside learning opportunity to appeal to students and give them real-world learning to connect with their CKLA learning unit on animals. Ms. Burd is a steadfast communicator and has shared fantastic data to support our understanding of what our child is growing in as a learner and what areas she can continue to grow! She is a team player and we appreciate all she does for the kiddos every single day. She is an emotional support for my daughter and others and my daughter looks forward to school every day because of her!

Eleanor Splan

Barcroft
Brilliant kind engaging and compassionate

Ms. Splan is as concerned with her special learners as she is with her high achievers. She spends time seeking education about special needs and, as a classroom teacher, works closely with instructional staff to thoroughly and enthusiastically meet the needs of all learners in her classroom. She encourages reading by all students, thereby helping them to increase their academic achievement and expand their intellectual horizons. Ms. Splan has deployed innovative educational techniques to engage learners. All of her students show her respect because Ms. Splan meets them where they are and shows each student kindness and compassion. She is a product of Arlington Public Schools – from kindergarten through 12th grade (Taylor, Swanson, W-L) and she truly gives back to APS in the most significant ways.

Octavia Harris

Swanson
Resourceful creative positive warm welcoming

Ms. Harris serves as Swanson’s Attendance Administrative Assistant and default receptionist. She greets families, students and staff with a smile and a positive welcome. Despite often addressing over 150 voicemails a day from families reporting their child’s absence, she manages to be responsive to families and support staff and students’ immediate needs. She is often alone in the main office due to staff vacancies and juggles near-constant interruptions with positivity and seamless customer service. Recently, Ms. Harris managed two highly stressful incid
ents that resulted in schoolwide crises twice in one week. She was calm, professional and knowledgeable throughout these incidents. We are fortunate to count Ms. Harris as a Swanson Admiral!

Sara Shaw

Integration Station
Leader compassionate adaptable selfless reliable

Ms. Shaw goes above and beyond her duties as a school administrator. She advocates for the needs of her students, their families, and her staff. She has created a safe, loving, and inclusive environment at Integration Station. She works hard to make sure all students are being heard, respected, and given the support they need. Her door is always open to provide guidance and a shoulder to cry on if needed. Integration Station is lucky to have such a strong leader. Thank you Ms. Shaw for everything you do for this program.