Brenda Smithers named Shoreline School District Support Person of the Year

By Craig Degginger, PIO
Shoreline Schools

Brenda Smithers, certified occupational therapy assistant, has been selected as the 2009-10 Shoreline School District Support Person of the Year.

Brenda has worked for the District for 31 years. As a support staff member for the entire Occupational and Physical Therapy Department, Brenda travels to every school in the District. She has a variety of responsibilities — working with individual students or small groups on fine motor skills, handwriting or dressing activities, creating unique pieces of adaptive equipment for students with disabilities; and assisting therapists with any other needs that might arise.

“Brenda has an incredible innate sense in connecting with the students she works with regardless of the severity of their disability. Her first goal is always to establish a rapport with the student, making them feel safe, secure and comfortable. She is able to read a student’s needs and effortlessly finds a way to foster success, allowing them to develop the skills they need to succeed,” her colleagues wrote in nominating her for the award.

Outside of her job, Brenda participates in large fundraising activities like the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, honoring Shoreline teachers who have battled cancer. She participates annually in the MS Walk with a handful of students that are graduates of the District’s special education programs. She is an excellent cook, frequently showing up with a meal and kindness for families in need.

Brenda will be honored at a reception at 6:30 pm on Monday, March 1 in the Shoreline Center lobby, prior to the School Board meeting that evening. The community is invited to attend. She will receive a $250 award from the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation. Shoreline Support Staff Appreciation Week will be celebrated March 7-13.
Photo: Brenda Smithers, second from left, accepts congratulations after the announcement of her selection as Shoreline Support Person of the Year. Courtesy of Shoreline Schools