Forest Trail ES EANESpiration Winners, 2023
Educational Impact
Those who display leadership and commitment to the district by making a positive, noticeable and significant impact.
Brad Corbett, 5th-Grade Teacher
Mr. Corbett has taken a strong lead in implementing our House system at FTE. His positive attitude and commitment to building a strong, lasting, community is shown not only in the classroom but throughout the school. Mr. Corbett shares all he learned at Ron Clark Academy not only through professional development but throughout the year giving tips and sharing community-building strategies with other staff informally. His classroom truly shows his students have internalized the character traits and leadership skills he provides. Thank you, Mr. Corbett.
Sarah Griffith, 2nd-Grade Teacher
Ms. Griffith is the 2nd-grade team leader this year and has found a most wonderful way to balance the varying needs of her team. Ms. Griffith has also served as an amazing leader as we implemented the House system at FTE. She distributes information, inspires students and staff and has provided the positive energy needed to start something new and exciting! She is also an amazing teacher and has taken all we learned at our Ron Clark Academy and implemented the community-building strategies in her classroom. We love you, Ms. Griffith.
Jenna Holmes, 1st-Grade Teacher
Ms. Holmes just joined First Grade at FTE this year, and she has poured her whole heart into helping her students. She quickly became a key member of both of her teams - Special Ed and First Grade - and she has become a friend to everyone she works with. She manages all of the paperwork that comes with Special Ed, and also connects with every individual in the class. There is no question that Ms. Holmes is dedicated to providing the best opportunities to every student at Forest Trail.
Mary Modjeski, Parent Volunteer
Ms. Modjeski selflessly organized and implemented our Garden Program this fall. She engaged students with meaningful hands-on lessons and had volunteer helpers by her side. Students felt empowered with their garden knowledge as she linked learning to our state educational requirements, or TEKS. We are truly grateful for the educational impact Ms. Modjeski has made on our students and the way she made learning fun!
Amanda Park, Campus Support Specialist
Ms. Park started out as a student teacher and has gone above and beyond since joining us as a support teacher! She has worn all the hats, including cafeteria monitor, substitute teacher, reading teacher, and more. She does it all with a smile on her face! She has also brought in some creative ideas to make FTE a better place for students and staff. We are so lucky to have her!
Marissa Ramirez, Special Education TA
Ms. Ramirez goes above and beyond her assigned duties each day. She is empathetic, kind, and encouraging to ALL students and staff. We could not imagine FTE without her. She works so hard to collaborate with teachers on our students’ needs, how best to support them, and ways we can improve as a team. She is an essential part of our students’ lives and has played a large part in the growth they have made this school year. Ms. Ramirez is more than a teaching assistant, we are also blessed to have her as a part of the FTE family.
Emily Silvia, 5th-Grade Teacher
Ms. Silvia cares deeply for her students and always has their best interests at heart. She has sought out best practices to address the varied needs of her classroom, and her class maintains a rigorous learning environment. She saw the need for her students to be more engaged with small group instruction and adapted her instructional style to benefit all learners. She collaborates with her co-teacher, and it's incredible to watch both math groups happening at the same time in their class. On top of providing high-caliber instruction to her students, she also tutors after school and recently started a newspaper club. As if that isn’t enough, she is currently studying to get her master’s degree. We love Ms. Silvia and are so lucky to have her!
Good Samaritan
One who displays compassion, selflessness, or courage by taking initiative.
Angela Bluer, Parent Volunteer
Mrs. Bluer joined our FTE family last year and jumped in providing support in so many areas. She is here for STEAM Day, class parties, faculty appreciation, and just about any event! She volunteered to run a 2nd-grade program called Mystery Fest and did a fantastic job organizing and facilitating it all, making it memorable for the students. Also, her dedication to the EEF fundraiser was amazing! She and her co-chair went above and beyond in promoting the fundraiser, not only promoting it with every media form available, pumping up the students, but also finding the data to show what value has been added in the positions funded in our school. Mrs. Bluer has been such an amazing gift to our FTE family.
Laura McClellan, 5th-Grade Teacher
Ms. McClellan has been an amazing Club Leader for our 5th-Grade Philanthropy Club. She has inspired her 5th graders to share their time, talent, and treasures with the school and our community. The Philanthropy Club was instrumental in making announcements, running and packing up donations with FTE's Coats for Kids Drive and our recent FTE Food Drive that benefitted the Central Texas Food Bank. Ms. McClellan organizes and inspires all the Philanthropy Club's efforts and you see her impact on how the Philanthropy Club has grown. Ms. McClellan, thank you for sharing your time, kindness, compassion, and inspiration with our school and our community.
Heroes
Those who perform an outstanding achievement that brings prestige to Eanes ISD, or do something that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Chris Guerrero, Custodian
Mr. Guerrero goes above and beyond to make our school shine. He is personable and friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. Every workday, he comes by and specifically asks what he can do to help in our rooms while the students are gone. He also doubles up as custodian and lunch monitor during lunchtime when the campus is in a bind for coverage. He interacts well with the students, and they LOVE him! We are so glad Mr. Guerrero came to FTE - our school has never looked so good!!
Deshay King, Kitchen Manager
Ms. King is an incredible asset to our Child Nutrition team. She is constantly going above and beyond to ensure her students are fed an appealing, tasty and nutritious meal. She is a dedicated employee to her kitchen staff, to her department and to her students. She volunteers to train new managers and new staff and to help out in the Child Nutrition office as needed. She can do this because she cross-trains her kitchen staff to know every aspect of the job so they can independently run the kitchen as needed, and she is able to help out any campus at any time. She knows all her students' names and most of their student ID numbers! She talks to students about their likes and dislikes, what they thought of the food, and new lunch trends to try out. She will specifically recommend a new entree item because one child suggested it, and when it shows up on the menu, that student feels so special!! Ms. King prides herself on the quality of her food and how her food is presented, especially her salad bar! Thank you, Ms. King!
Stephanie Owens, Parent Volunteer
Ms. Owens has served as the lead chicken coop volunteer at Forest Trail for years. She even came up over during freezing weather to ensure these animals were safe, comfortable, and cared for. Not only that, but she comes to school every week to update the school marquee to ensure the community is informed of upcoming events. Ms. Owens is an incredible volunteer and an amazing asset to FTE! Thank you, Ms. Owens!