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Pelham Ridge Elementary School and Pelham Oaks Elementary School gathered together to honor faculty, staff and parents of Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks in a Super Citizens Ceremony on Monday, May 8. (Reporter photos/Lizzie Bowen)

By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Pelham Ridge Elementary School and Pelham Oaks Elementary School gathered together to honor faculty, staff and parents of Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks in a Super Citizens Ceremony on Monday, May 8.

During this ceremony, students came up to share why the teachers or faculty members they had elected were their heroes.

The Liberty Learning Foundation put on this event, a foundation established in 2010 with the goal of providing students with resources for their development.

Pelham Ridge Elementary School Student Gray Winters took the stage to honor Khadidr Jones.

“She is really good at her job,” Winters said. “She works hard, she is kind, fun, friendly and helpful. Miss Jones is our hero.”

Mrs. Jones was met with applause as she walked to receive her award from the students. Next, Gracelyn Compton of Pelham Ridge selected Mrs. Jordan Salter as an elected hero.

“Our class selected Mrs. Salter as our hero,” Compton said. “She helps us to be kind to one another. She helps us to do our very best. She guides us. She is fantastic. She brings us up when we are down. I love when she smiles. We love Mrs. Salter. Thank you, Mrs. Salter for all you do.”

Gracie Bradford chose Dee Hooks as the next hero to be awarded and honored at the ceremony. In an emotional moment, Mrs. Hooks received her award alongside Bradford.

Dillion Tilley honored Officer Sams, the school resource officer for Pelham Ridge with the next Super Citizen Award.

“Officer Sams is our Super Citizen because we appreciate him so much,” Tilley said. “He is brave. He has lots of courage. He is kind to everyone. We love him because he is always helping people out. We are so thankful to have him at our school to keep us save. Thank you for protecting our school.”

The next Super Citizen was Mrs. Kaneesha McGinnis, also known as Nurse K, presented by Emma Williams.

“Nurse K is the best school nurse ever,” Williams said. “She helps all of us when we are sick or hurt. She has the best magic ice. She is polite and helpful to everyone at our school. She is funny, dependable and patient. She has a sweet smile. We are so thankful for Nurse K. Thank you for inspiring us and being a Super Citizen.”

The next award was given to Assistant Principal of Pelham Ridge Elementary School Richard Powers by student Torin Hooper.

“Mr. Powers is a wonderful assistant principal,” Hooper said. “He his powerful by helping us learn from our mistakes. Thank you, Mr. Powers for inspiring us and for being a Super Citizen.”

Pelham Ridge student Brooks Dickson honored art teacher Joy Martin with the Super Citizen Award.

“Mrs. Martin is a Super Citizen,” Dickson said. “She is a great artist, and she makes art fun. She is always helpful, she helps us when we make mistakes, she encourages our class and she makes our school so beautiful. She encourages people when they are down”

Lastly, Principal of Pelham Ridge Lisa Baxter was awarded and honored with a Super Citizen award from student Edison Barrett.

“Our class selected Mrs. Baxter as our Super Citizen,” Barrett said. “She is nice to everyone, she is the best principal and she is a very good person. She keeps us safe. She takes care of us, she is thoughtful and she is the best. Mrs. Baxter loves us very much.”

Next, the Super Citizen awards were given out to teachers and faculty from Pelham Oaks Elementary School.

Olivia Glover and Eleanor Irvin presented a Super Citizen Award to Mr. Chase Holden.

“We would love to honor Mr. Chase Holden as our Super Citizen,” Glover said. “He keeps us safe and helps us learn. Mr. Holden encourages us to do our best at school.”

Payton Hammond took time to honor Mrs. Kay McRae as the class’ Super Citizen.

“She teaches us about how to be responsible.” Hammond said. “If we feel sad, angry or scared, we know we can go to Mrs. McRae for help. She even helps our teachers if they need her too. If it was not for Mrs. McRae, our school would not be as great as it is now. She is an important part of our community and works really hard for us.”

Isabella Jarvis and Alex Shatara honored Dr. Kelsey Deason as Super Citizen.

“Dr. Deason is a Super Citizen because she makes people happy,” Shatara said. “She laughs and smiles with us. She comforts students that are sad, and she keeps us safe.”

An’Taysia Keys and Ettie Huguley honored School Resource Officer Paul Martin with their Super Citizen Award.

“He works very hard to protect us,” Keys said. “We love Office Martin because he makes us happy when are sad or hurt. We are lucky to have him.”

Kai Rise and Brantley Koch of Pelham Oaks Elementary gave their Super Citizen Award to Aaron Rice.

“We would like to honor a Super Citizen, my dad,” Rice said. “He was on active duty in Afghanistan. My dad teaches computer science. He also participates in fundraiser that helps Children’s Hospitals.”

Garrett and Branson Simmons also took the stage to honor their mother as a Super Citizen.

“We would like to honor our mom Jessica Simmons,” Branson said. “Our mom is a great mom who takes care of us. She also helps others in our community. She helps people with their groceries and teaches us to be respectful and helpful. Our mom is also very generous. She helps our teachers and others in the community with what they need. Now, our mom is subbing at our school. She helps teachers when they are out when they are sick. We love our mom. We are proud of who she is.”

Lastly, from from Mrs. Libb’s class, Olivia Jackson and Sillian Walker took the stage to honor Mr. Bob Sherer and Mrs. Melanie Shearer as Super Citizens.

“Mr. Bob Sherer works very hard to keep our school looking great and keep us safe,” Jackson said. “He leads by example to show us how to have good character and to do our best in every single thing. Whether we see him on the baseball field or at school, he is always encouraging us to be respectful, responsible, kind and helpful. We know Mr. Bob will always be there to encourage us. We are thankful to have Mr. Bob as a part of our school.”

Additionally, Mrs. Melanie who worked as a school secretary was also honored.

“Mrs. Melanie was our school secretary and one of our very favorite people.” Walker said. “Mrs. Melanie passed away in December, and we miss her very much. She was always patient and kind and funny, too. Mrs. Melanie worked for a long time in the Pelham community. Everyone who went through Valley Elementary and Pelham Oaks know how amazing she truly was. Because of her huge impact on our school and community, we would like to honor Mrs. Melanie with the Super Citizen Award.”

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