The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is one of 58 county offices located throughout the state. Approximately 650 regular and more than 950 temporary and substitute SCOE staff work year-round providing services which complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in Sacramento County. More than 241,000 K-12 students are served by public schools in Sacramento County.
Classified Employee of the Month
Cydny Rossi, School Secretary, was nominated by Sly Park Conservation and Environmental Education Center Director Kris Pamintuan for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Rossi is responsible for many essential duties at Sly Park, such as communicating with customers via phone, e-mail, and in person; preparing the weekly program schedule and student lists; assisting schools in planning and preparing for their upcoming trips; collecting and organizing weekly school paperwork; and helping maintain school records. One customer stated that Cydny was "outstanding and helpful." Another said, "The office support (Cydny) is amazing!" According to her supervisor, Ms. Rossi's biggest contribution to Sly Park and SCOE is her perpetually positive attitude. "She is the first face that visitors and staff see when they enter the Sly Park office, and she greets them all with a big smile and a warm welcome. She is friendly and makes every guest feel welcome. When sick students come through the office to rest for a while in 'Med Bay,' Ms. Rossi offers a bit of motherly comfort, ensuring that they are snuggled up in a comfy bed and are well tended by their classroom teacher. She has developed a very positive rapport with all of the Sly Park staff members, and strives to make sure they each have the tools they need to effectively do their respective jobs." Ms. Rossi has been instrumental in helping to improve and streamline the reservation process at Sly Park. She has helped develop new, professional reservation documents, has created and helps maintain a detailed reservation calendar and database using Microsoft Outlook, and has assisted in the creation of a new reservation timeline for customer ease of use. An active runner, Ms. Rossi will be taking on the role of Sly Park's "Wellness Champion" for SCOE's new Wellness in the Workplace campaign. Concludes her supervisor, "Cydny is friendly, responsible, reliable, and flexible. She is extremely organized, has excellent customer service and communication skills, and always has an optimistic outlook, even when working with challenging customers or during stressful situations. She is an exemplary employee." Ms. Rossi has been employed by the Sacramento County Office of Education since 2014.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Todd Gillihan, Teacher, was nominated by Sly Park Conservation and Environmental Education Center Director Kris Pamintuan for his contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Mr. Gillihan teaches outdoor science and environmental education to fifth and sixth grade from schools in the greater Sacramento area. He works with pupils of every level, ability and background, including those in Special Day Classes and GATE (Gifted And Talented Education) and their parent chaperones. His lessons include biology, geology, ecology, environmental awareness, astronomy, geocaching, arts and crafts, teambuilding, and much more. Mr. Gillihan, known as "Grizzly" to his students, is a commendable employee, says his supervisor. "He is reliable, responsible, and trustworthy. He is intelligent, collaborates with his teammates to ensure a successful program, and has fostered positive relationships with Sly Park customers and staff members alike. More importantly, he is an amazing teacher." She reports, "This summer, a basketball camp participant was excited to see me so that she could tell me how thrilled she was to have had Grizzly as her Sly Park teacher. Every time she saw me she told me how much she enjoyed having Grizzly as her Sly Park teacher, and really wanted to write Grizzly a letter. I brought her a pencil and paper, and she wrote a lengthy letter to Grizzly in which she wrote, 'I want to thank you for being such a great Sly Park teacher. My brother wants to be in your Sly Park group and wants you to be his Sly Park teacher.'" Ms. Gillihan frequently receives letters from students and compliments and kudos from visiting teachers and parent chaperones about his engaging teaching style. In one letter, a student wrote, "Thank you for teaching me about nature and how we can help the world and forests. You are an awesome leader. I am happy to be part of the Grizzly tribe." In addition to his varied adjunct duties that help make the Sly Park program such a success, Mr. Gillihan recently started the BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Induction Program at the site and has been mentoring the newest Sly Park teacher. Mr. Gillihan's supervisor concludes, "Using the natural outdoor environment at Sly Park, Todd employs just the right dose of humor to entertain his students while leading them through lessons that promote investigation and discovery. His enthusiastic, hands-on, Socratic teaching style keeps his students engaged and wanting to learn more." Mr. Gillihan, who was nominated as SCOE's 2014 Teacher of the Year, has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since 2011.