The Auburn School District Board of Directors will recognize Hailey Hansen, a senior at Auburn High School, for being an outstanding student at 7 p.m. Monday in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.
Hansen is an active member of the high school community. She is a member of DECA and serves as the vice president of membership and leadership for the AHS Chapter.
Over the course of four years, Hansen has earned numerous awards including a fourth-place finish in the State DECA Competition in Marketing Communications and Entrepreneurship Promotion and a second-place finish in the DeVry Business Pitch Competition in Chicago.
Hansen is instrumental in the success of many DECA projects, such as leadership activities, community service, school projects, public relations events and career path experiential learning.
Hansen recently was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from Hilton Worldwide.
“Hailey is an outstanding student,” said DECA advisor Lori Jacobs. “She is most deserving of this highly competitive scholarship.”
Hansen and her DECA partner compete at the International DECA Competition next month.
Hansen plans to attend Washington State University in the fall and enroll in the School of Hospitality.
The school district also will honor Monday:
Deirdre Lempert
Lempert will receive the Gold Star Volunteer Award.
Lempert helps students practice their reading skills every Monday morning during Read Naturally stations at Hazelwood Elementary. She also volunteers on the DIBELS assessment team; prepares classroom materials for teachers; helps students with special classroom projects; and organizes Hazelwood’s annual food drive.
In fact, Hazelwood has won the annual all-schools food drive three years in a row at the elementary level.
Lempert served as Hazelwood PTA’s membership chair for five years and helped organize the school’s bingo nights, science nights, ice cream socials and more.
“Volunteering seems like second nature to me,” Lempert said. “If I can make a difference in the day or week of a teacher and allow students to experience some enrichment in their classroom, I am more than willing to assist.”
Additionally, Lempert hosts district coffee hours for community members to learn more about levy and bond propositions.
With two active sons in middle and high school, Lempert continues to carve out time in her schedule to lend a hand at Hazelwood.
“I see a need to help out in our schools and there aren’t a lot of volunteers, so I feel blessed to be able to help out. It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Patty Eckelman
Eckelman, Auburn Mountainview High School business education teacher, is recognized for her outstanding service.
Eckelman’s business education classes provide students invaluable technical and leadership skills. From accounting and business math, to work-based learning and the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, students acquire real-world employability skills for life beyond high school.
“My goal is to give students learning opportunities and skills that prepare them for college, work and other post-secondary opportunities,” Eckelman said.
Auburn Mountainview has been recognized by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn for having the No. 1 student pass rate for Microsoft Office Specialist Certification and the fourth-largest number of certifications in the state. This semester, the business education lab has moved to Office 2010 due to Microsoft’s partnership with OSPI. It is the only computer lab in the district to be running Office 2010.
“This is the only industry-level certification that validates the computer skills needed to get the most out of Microsoft Office applications,” Eckelman said. “It is designed for industry, not high school students, so the certification really grabs your attention on job applications, scholarships and resumes.”
A number of Eckelman’s students have scored in the high 900s. With some of the best scores in the country, these students may be invited to represent the U.S. in the 2012 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office in Las Vegas next July.
Eckelman stresses professionalism in her classes and commits herself to lead by example.
“Every day I put my best foot forward no matter what’s going on in my life, and I tell my students to do the same,” she said.
Eckelman invites guest speakers such as lawyers, judges and police officers to impart similar messages. Students also learn the importance of citizenship.
This year Eckelman’s students donated 172 pairs of jeans to homeless teens through Aeropostale’s Teens for Jeans program. Students donated more than $1,000 to aid in the Haiti relief effort.
Eckelman is in her 21st year of teaching. The daughter of a banker and family and consumer science/business education teacher, Eckelman followed in her parents’ footsteps. She earned a business education degree from University of Montana and master’s degree in educational technology through City University.
