April: Staff Spotlight Honorees: Bunsey & Sheils
April: Staff Spotlight Honorees: Bunsey & Sheils
DOUG BUNSEY
Capturing these special events throughout the year is only a small part of what Doug does as part of his job. He is there for all the District’s video needs, whether it is helping a teacher with a video class project or making sure our security cameras are operating properly. And since January, he has been guiding members of the newly formed video club at Lakewood High that produces the school’s daily video announcements.
Doug, who joined the District in 1997, is also always available to troubleshoot I.T. problems for staff members and students.
“Doug is always more than ready to listen to staff and jump in with solutions and assistance,” said his nominator Scott Mellino, head custodian at Lincoln Elementary.
Doug says he is always glad to lend a helping hand and enjoys the constant problem solving that comes along with an I.T. job. The variety of issues that pop up also appeals to him. “I enjoy how different it is every day,“ he says.
Doug says he feels fortunate to work in Lakewood because of how much the District offers its students. He hopes that one of those offerings will someday include broadcast production so he can return to his roots of teaching those skills as he did in his earlier days in the District.
Doug’s impact on the District and his department are summed up by Scott, who says: “Doug has been a stable strong influence in the I.T. department as long as I can remember.”
PAM SHEILS
“The students love when we analyze song lyrics and relate them to the theme that we are studying,” said Pam’s nominator and classroom teaching partner, Intervention Specialist Kelsey Scalf.
For Pam’s part, she feels that telling a story, whether just talking about herself or sharing an original song on her banjo, opens up the channels of communication more easily between herself and her students.
“It shows them that I’m vulnerable because I’m putting myself out there to be judged….and it works, they warm up to me,” says Pam, who joined the District in 2006 as a middle school teacher and has been at LHS since 2015. She says since she started sharing about herself she has noticed improved classroom behavior.
Kelsey also praised Pam for her ability to differentiate learning with the students on IEPs, tailoring her lessons to individual learning styles. Pam finds ways to make material more accessible for her students, to find ways that will engage them with the content.
Says Pam: “I give students the opportunity to perform scenes, like Romeo & Juliet, or music. I help students gain access to listening to literature through audiobooks and using speech to text to help with writing.”
Although Pam could have just as easily gone into a career in the arts – she moonlights as a playwright and sings in a band – she says she is more than happy with her day job. “I love to teach, I love helping kids to read and write better.”