Three staff members who serve Pattonville students were honored with awards at Special School District's (SSD) annual Salutes Banquet. The event recognizes teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and community members who have gone above and beyond when serving the district. Honored at the Salutes Banquet were: Teresa Hutti, a science teacher at Holman Middle School; Jason Lange, an SSD paraprofessional at Holman; and Alexis Moore, countywide teacher of the visually impaired who serves students at Rose Acres Elementary.

Hutti received the Special Ambassador Award, the highest recognition given by SSD. The award is presented to community members who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to the students and/or staff of SSD. Hutti is one of 14 individuals/groups honored out of 22 school districts and many businesses in St. Louis County. She is a leader in her school community, serving on several committees and as coach of the school’s girls basketball team. Outside of school, she volunteers her time to tutor children and coach softball, basketball and volleyball teams. Hutti goes out of her way to make sure that all students are comfortable, engaged and feel a sense of belonging in her classroom. Her goal is to help ensure that students of all ability levels have the appropriate materials available to allow them to learn. Her efforts have included securing grant funding to obtain materials to meet students’ individual needs.

“Teresa has worked tirelessly and selflessly not just for her students, or to make her job easier, but for all of our special education students, to make their lives more fulfilling,” said Nina Vogel, an SSD teacher at Holman Middle School who nominated Hutti for the award. “She has done this because she cares and she feels that it is the right thing to do. That is who she is.”

Lange  received the SSD Building Block Award, which honors SSD's outstanding paraprofessionals for their contributions to the lives of SSD students. Lange is one of 11 honorees out of approximately 1,800 paraprofessional's in St. Louis County.

Moore received the Keys to the Classroom Award. This award honors SSD's top teachers for their creative approaches to student learning, innovative programming and commitment to student success. Moore was one of 10 teachers recognized for the award out of more than 2,600 teachers throughout St. Louis County.

For more information on those honored during the SSD Salutes Banquet, visit the SSD website at:
http://www.ssdmo.org/rotate_features/03_13/special_ambassadors_2013.html