Past ABCD Award Winners

CATHERINE DARLING works as an aide in the special education department at Johnstown High School, helping students to navigate their day, and providing them with encouragement,  understanding, and respect. She does her best to help with any situation, big or small,  and when she isn’t helping her assigned students, she volunteers to lend a hand with other tasks, enthusiastically assisting with activities both during and after school. Students have referred to Ms. Darling as being good and kind, and say she helps them to have better days. Ms. Darling consistently goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty in offering the utmost of care and assistance to Johnstown students.

BECKY WAGER  is an academic intervention services teacher and Success Mentor at Knox Middle School, as well as a 1:1 Mentor.  Mentors spend additional time supporting others in achieving their goals, and colleagues say Ms. Wager absolutely goes out of her way to help both students and new teachers succeed, offering resources, support and time.  Parents say she also goes out of her way to check up on students, pushing them to do their best and to be proud of their efforts. Above and Beyond the call of Duty definitely describes Ms. Wager’s dedication to Greater Johnstown School District students and staff.

MELISSA LIVINGSTONE is a kindergarten teacher at Pleasant Avenue Elementary whose patience and compassion helps the youngest of students and their families adjust to the big step of leaving home and entering the unfamiliar world of school. She also serves as the District’s Mentor Coordinator, helping to create a professional learning culture for new teachers in the district. Dedicated to generating ongoing improvement that benefits both students and colleagues, she has earned National Board Certification, a voluntary advanced teaching credential that goes beyond state licensure and is recognized by many as the profession’s highest credential. Ms. Livingstone’s work to benefit student learning and strengthen the teaching profession goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

AMY HALE  is a second grade teacher at Warren Street Elementary School who takes the time to recognize the dignity and worth of each student in her classroom, nurturing them, acknowledging their individual achievements, and instilling a sense of pride as they progress. Recently, the District was contacted by a Johnstown family impacted by childhood cancer, who expressed appreciation for the kindness, compassion and empathy Amy has shared with them, knowing that she has walked a similar path. The family also expressed appreciation for her assistance and support for their child’s desire to develop a special “Gold Day” at school in order to  bring awareness to childhood cancer. The Greater Johnstown School District thanks Mrs. Hale for going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty to foster inspiration, tenacity and hope among Johnstown students and families.

OLIVIA BARNETT is a kindergarten teacher at Pleasant Avenue Elementary who welcomes children with open arms and a smile that’s contagious. She is kind and nurturing, and provides patience, structure, love, and support for the children in her classroom, giving them a sense of comfort and safety, and allowing them to grow. Her communication with families is top tier, and the empathy and reassurance she provides for parents is said to be immeasurable. Mrs. Barnett goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty to provide children with an exceptional and positive educational experience in their formative years.

MATT GRECO is an English teacher at Johnstown Jr-Sr High School, who relates to the students on their level and makes learning fun. He provides a listening ear for students who need to talk, and makes it known that his door is always open. He inspires a level of comfort and trust that allows students to open up and speak with him when they might not talk to others. He supports his students not just in class, but by attending extracurricular events such as concerts during Music in Our Schools Month and offering encouragement wherever it is needed. Mr. Greco goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty to see the potential in all of his students and inspires them to do well.

JACKIE WHITMAN  is a special education teacher at Pleasant Avenue Elementary, where her colleagues say she is the first person to volunteer for anything, often asking how she can help and offering assistance to other staff members throughout the day. She also volunteers at many after-school activities, like “Literacy Night,” and goes the extra mile to ensure that special education students are fully included in the Pleasant Avenue culture and community. She is described by co-workers as kind, considerate, fun, engaging and knowledgeable. Jackie’s colleagues also say she has an ability to recognize student needs and behaviors and that she regularly uses this ability to transition children through difficult situations that arise during the day. Mrs. Whitman’s efforts to support the staff and students around her are truly appreciated as going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

JACKIE STROUSE  is a first grade teacher at Pleasant Avenue Elementary who truly cares about her students. A good teacher in a child’s life can make a difference and parents say that Mrs. Strouse makes that difference for their children.  In addition to the admirable care she provides for her students,  Jackie also serves as a Technology Integration Coach and has previously served as a new teacher mentor, offering much appreciated support to her colleagues and assisting them with implementing effective teaching practices. Mrs. Strouse regularly  goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty to find solutions and ways to help Johnstown students and staff succeed.

KATIE WARNER  is a first grade teacher at Pleasant Avenue Elementary who makes all of the children in her classroom feel loved and welcomed. Parents report that their children return to see Mrs. Warner even after they’ve moved up to other grades, just to get a hug, or to seek a bit of comfort when they experience a bad day.  Parents also say Katie  is attentive and precise, and that  her communication with them is top notch. Mrs. Warner has been described as truly having a heart of gold and her care and compassion for Johnstown students goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

MEGHAN OARE  is a teaching assistant at Johnstown Junior Senior High School, where she starts every day greeting each student at the door, by name, with a welcome and a smile. For the remainder of the day she is in perpetual motion and rarely sits still. Her wide ranging tasks  include providing advocacy for students; providing coverage for fellow staff members; tutoring students in study halls and monitoring their progress; and providing social and emotional support, with an uncanny ability to temper the correct amount of compassion versus discipline. At the end of the school day she serves on the attendance committee, offering insight as a staff member and a student mentor, while reconciling data for the team. During the evening Mrs. Oare can be found supporting our students and community, utilizing her musical talents to help prepare students for NYSSMA, or providing accompaniment for musical groups during concert performances. Mrs. Oare’s energy, dedication and talents seem endless and she goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty every day, with unparalleled positivity and commitment. 

JENNIFER CASEY is a music teacher at Johnstown Junior Senior High School, where she provides instruction to the seventh and eighth grade band students. Mrs. Casey is also the director for the Junior High Jazz Band and serves as the assistant director for the Johnstown High School Marching Band. Jen has been described as super kind, caring and understanding. Her students say that she creates a positive environment and helps them to succeed in band, offering encouragement to try harder, without raising her voice. In past years Mrs. Casey and the eighth grade band students have visited the Willing Helpers Home to provide holiday cheer and music to residents. She has also accompanied student musicians in the hallways, while they provide holiday music for classmates during arrival at school. Mrs. Casey goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty every day  to inspire Johnstown students and engage them in a life-long love of music.

JESSICA HOLT is a sixth grade teacher at Warren Street and helps to organize and run the Backpack food program. At the start of the school year, she asks co-workers to share the names of kids in need and then makes contact with the Regional Food Bank to secure enough supplies to feed these students outside of school hours. Mrs. Holt also recruits staff members to pack the bags each week so that food is ready to be sent home on Fridays. She makes contact with parents and organizes fundraisers to ensure the Backpack program has the funds it needs to continue operating. The Backpack program, which is beneficial to so many of our students and families, would not be successful if not for Ms. Holt’s efforts Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

KAYE HOUTZ serves as the school secretary at Warren Street and has been referred to as the glue that holds Warren together. She simultaneously keeps staff organized and acts as the front line in terms of communication. She maintains an atmosphere of calm and respect while helping parents who have questions or need guidance. Her ability to keep the building running seamlessly while putting out fires is incredible. Whether it is – keeping track of multiple busses, dismissal spots and students’ individual daily transportation needs, or making sure that all staff have papers signed and returned, or acting as technical support for at-home learners, she does it all with a positive attitude. Mrs. Houtz truly goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty every day, and does so with a smile and impressive composure. 

HEIDI BOLEBRUCH is a science teacher at Johnstown Junior-Senior High School. In addition to her classroom duties, Bolebruch serves as the Curriculum and Instructional Leader for grade 7-12 science and technology; is a Group Mentor; a Data Coach; a Johnstown Teachers’ Association Officer; a class advisor for the JHS Class of 2023; and a class advisor for the JHS Class of 2021. In the Fall of 2020, she helped to organize and implement a project called “Adopt a Senior” to help lift the spirits of JHS seniors throughout the year. This special activity anonymously paired Class of 2021 students with volunteer GJSD staff members, Board of Education members and retired teachers. The volunteers, known only to their assigned student as “Secret Sir Bill” or “Secret Lady Bill”, regularly delivered small gifts and cards to their special senior throughout the year to let them know that they were being thought of. Bolebruch’s coordination of the “Adopt a Senior” program, ensuring that Johnstown seniors have a special memory, is certainly Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

JULIA FISK teaches art to approximately 700 Johnstown elementary students, traveling between the Pleasant Avenue, Warren Street and Knox buildings, and then traveling between classrooms with her supplies on a cart. During COVID, she also created bags of materials with lessons included for remote learners. Fisk has been with the district for many years and has taught thousands of Johnstown students throughout her tenure. She is commended by her school community for making the effort to get to know each and every student individually. Fisk goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty to create meaningful art experiences that inspire all of her students to be creative and have fun.

JENNIFER VONDERHEIDE works tirelessly as Johnstown’s sole ninth grade social studies teacher, always trying different methods to keep students engaged during both hybrid and traditional school years. She demonstrates extra compassion with her students, reaching out to them personally to make certain they know she is there to help get them on track. VonderHeide is also actively involved in both extracurricular and Johnstown Teacher Association activities. She serves as the advisor for the Johnstown High School Student Council, a student organization that engages students in community service and creates a welcoming and fun atmosphere in the school. She is also the Johnstown Teachers’ Association chairperson for the William A. Wright Scholarship committee, and has assisted in raising and  bestowing thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to Johnstown’s graduating seniors. Her school community notes that she is warm, caring, and hardworking. To quote one of the many students she has inspired, “She is an excellent teacher that goes Above and Beyond the Call of Duty and will forever and always leave a positive impact.”