For the Reporter

Ilalko Elementary office manager Teri Mathews has been selected as the Puget Sound ESD Regional Classified Employee of the Year.

She will represent the PSESD as one of nine regional winners at the state level in April.

Mathews was selected as the Auburn School District Classified Employee of the Year and her nomination was forwarded to the PSESD competition. As one of the regional winners, Mathews will be honored at a luncheon at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, have the opportunity to attend the Governor’s Reception for Exceptional Educators at the governor’s mansion and go to a Mariners game to honor exceptional educators.

Mathews has worked in the Auburn School District for eight years. Her interest in education work began as a PTA volunteer. She began working as a classified substitute at Alpac Elementary and then went to a full-time position as the Lakeland Hills Elementary office assistant in 2006.

In 2011, she was hired as the office manager at Terminal Park Elementary. She is in her second year as the office manager at Ilalko.

In his nomination letter, Ilalko principal Tim Carstens wrote, “Teri makes work easier, tasks more streamlined, and coming to school each day a joy for students and staff. She is calm in the face of adversity, focused in times of emergency and approachable in all situations.”

Mathews is working on her bachelor’s degree in humanities. She is active in the Auburn Association of Educational Office Professionals and is the president-elect of that group.