for November
Karen Lemley has been an educator for 25 years, and has been at Naples School for 21 of those years. During this time, she has taught combination classes and almost every primary grade. She currently teaches 1st grade.
Mrs.
Lemley is known as a teacher who is organized,
creative, peaceful, and loving. She is soft
spoken, and children respond to her gentle and
charitable ways. Her success can partly be
attributed to her continuing desire to improve
and be her best.One of her many strengths is art. She has taught children how to draw portraits, birds, dogs, straw-blown trees with beautiful tissue leaves, and amazing paintings. Signs of learning cover her walls, doors, and hallway. She has also taught countless crafts such as knitting, quilting, and cooking. For several years Mrs. Lemley participated in a traveling art show. Art would come in from schools across the United States, including Naples Elementary, to be displayed nationally.
Mrs. Lemley is also known for her Science expertise. This year she brought a praying mantis in the classroom. Students caught bugs from the playground to feed her. One Monday students came back to class to find she had formed an egg. Her classroom was electric!
Mrs. Lemley also has a traveling science suitcase that goes home with students. They take turns being the "Scientist" of the week as parents come in and assist them in conducting and explaining their experiments. It is a class highlight! She now teaches a "Mad Scientist" class in our Magnet classes with students ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade.
Mrs. Lemley is planning on retiring in 2015. She is an insightful mentor at our school, and will be greatly missed. She is more than deserving of this award, and we feel lucky to have her a little longer.
The School District's Classified Employee of the month for November 2014 is Darla Evans.
Mrs. Darla Evans is a member of the 1989 graduating class of Bonners Ferry High School. Since this time she has invested in the children of Boundary County. Darla came to Valley View Elementary School nine years ago, after running a day care center in Moyie Springs.
Her first job at Valley View was an AmeriCorp position; this challenging position provides reading support
for the at-risk student population. The skills
she showed in this temporary position landed her
a full-time career in the Life Skills Department
at Valley View, where she has been for the last
seven years.Life Skills, in our public school, is for students with disabilities who need additional support in their social, behavioral and/or academic development. This is not work for the weary! It is a very hard job.
Darla is a distinguished employee; she enjoys the students and they clearly respond to her attention! The students make tremendous gains under her guidance with the support of Matt Dinning, the certified member of the team. Darla enjoys the challenge. It is said best in her own words, “I am continually inspired and humbled by my students! They persist to make improvement, in spite of their challenges.” Darla is truly a beautiful person, inside and out.
Darla is an avid outdoorswoman. Hunting, camping, kayaking, and cross-country skiing are among her activities. She has been married to her husband Doug, for 23 years. They have been blessed with two wonderful boys: Brenden is 19 years old and serving in the U.S. Army, and Mat, 22 years, is headed to Graduate School at the University of Great Falls.