Yolo County Office of Education - Employee of the Month

Employee of the Month

Congratulations Nicole Castrejon!

September 2023: Nicole Castrejon, Family Support Services Manager, Early Childhood Education Department

Nicole was nominated by her supervisor who has witnessed Nicole’s exceptional dedication, compassion, and exemplary performance in supporting the program’s mission. She is committed to family support and goes above and beyond to ensure that families are enrolled in our Head Start Program and receive the comprehensive support they need. Nicole possesses a remarkable ability to empathize, listens attentively without judgment, and creates a safe and welcoming environment where parents and guardians feel comfortable sharing their concerns and seeking guidance. Nicole is incredibly resourceful in helping her team connect families with vital community services and her efforts have contributed significantly to improving the overall well-being of our families, thus creating a stable and nurturing environment for our children to thrive. Nicole leads by example and promotes collaboration, teamwork and seeks opportunities for improvement, and has developed a robust family recruitment plan that contributes to a supportive and cohesive team atmosphere. Please help us congratulate Nicole for a well-deserved acknowledgment of her outstanding efforts and for supporting our children in Yolo County!

Nomination Form

NOMINATION PROCESS

Any YCOE employee may be nominated as Employee of the Month for a worthy contribution to the organization. Nomination and selection criteria are related to the topics for the month below, significant contributions to the YCOE organization, its staff, students, or the educational community. Employees nominated under this program shall be reviewed for selection by a committee within YCOE, on a monthly basis. A single employee shall be chosen by the committee for the honor of EOM each month.

The award recipient shall be announced and recognized at the next Board of Education meeting, with one month's parking in the designated EOM parking spot (if applicable), a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of their contribution, and a gift card.

Employees not selected in any particular month may be selected and receive this award in a subsequent month, within the fiscal year of nomination.

Topic for Nomination by Month:

October 2023 - Vision: Be a model of excellence in educational service, innovation, and impact
November 2023 - Mission: Provided inspiration, leadership, support, and advocacy that ensures equity and access to high-quality education for all students
December 2023 - Core Values: Stay Student-Centered, Communicate Effectively, Value Employees and Partners
January 2024 - Created and maintained a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment within our organization
February 2024 - Strategic Plan Goal 1: Created or participated in a countywide transitional kindergarten to grade 16 initiative that will cohesively, effectively, and sustainably improve student outcomes in Yolo County
March 2024 - Strategic Plan Goal 2: Innovate, collaborate, or participated within YCOE or with school districts to close access and opportunity gaps to support the success of students
April 2024 - Strategic Plan Goal 3: Engage YCOE students in model education programs in order to ensure they are college and career-ready
May 2024 - Strategic Plan Goal 4: Increase and sustain innovative and effective practices in administrative services (operations, business, and technology) while delivering high-quality and responsive services
June 2024 - Strategic Plan Goal 5: Recruit, retain, and develop a high-quality and diverse YCOE team

2023 EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

March 2023: Alternative Education Paraeducators (Victoria Curry, Joel Garcia, Davina Huerta, Kristen Storz, Reggie Washington)
April 2023: Cat Vibert, Administrative Assistant, Educational Services
May 2023: Christie Petrali, Senior Payroll/Benefits Technician, Human Resources
August 2023: Abigail Briceno, Administrative Secretary, Information Technology Services
September 2023: Nicole Castrejon, Family Support Services Manager, Early Childhood Education

2022 Employees of the month

January 2022: Bridget Vaughan, Sr. Business Services Technician, External Business Services
February 2022: Bianca Solorio, Foster Youth & Homeless Services Outreach Specialist, Student Services
March 2022: Gerry Scholl, Substitute Teacher/Substitute Paraeducator
May 2022: Human Resource COVID-19 staff (Anabel Figueroa, Bebe Reveles, Iris Tapia-Ramirez, Patti Robles)
July 2022: Rosie Vargas, Administrative Secretary, Special Education
August 2022: Darin Tidball, Senior Maintenance Technician, and Austin Creamer, Maintenance Technician, Support Operations Services
September 2022: Claudia Grimaldi, Accountant, Internal Fiscal Services
October 2022: Yvette Seibert, Executive Assistant, Superintendent's Office
November 2022: Lisa Munoz-Vasquez, Youth Advocate, Alternative Education

2021 Employees of the Month

April 2021: Chris Stringer, Network Engineer, Information and Technology Services
May 2021: Head Start Family Support Services staff (Rose Castaneda, Ana Ceballos, Teresa Jauregui, Cierra Joseph, Andrew Martinez, Julisa Melgoza, and Amelia Rodriguez Abonce)
October 2021: Heather Williams, Sarah Jull, Jonathon Monin, Roni Morales, Caitlyn Tsutsui, Greengate School
November 2021: Andrea Barajas, Administrative Secretary, Teaching & Learning
December 2021: Katya Griffin and Ana Renteria, Greengate School