Congratulations to Deb Fredrickson and Tricia Salata on receiving the Homegrown Hero award! Deb & Tricia were nominated by Kayla Lyons to receive this award for their amazing dedication to Cornell Grade School. The following is Kayla's letter she wrote to the St. Louis District Dairy Council nominating Deb & Tricia for the Homegrown Hero Awards!
"Hey there! My name is Kayla Lyons and I work in the kitchen at Cornell Grade School. On behalf of the first grade class and office staff, I'd like to nominate our Deb Fredrickson for the Homegrown Hero Award!
Deb is technically a sub for the school and has been for quite some time. In that regard, she is dependable and flexible and one of our best subs. For the last two years, for various reasons, Deb has been asked to full-time teach an...admittedly....rough class. She taught them for almost all of their Kindergarten year and then returned for most of their 1st Grade year! She *always* has a smile ready and is one of the most gracious people I've ever met. She teacher with both authority and love, and has an unbelievable amount of patience. Also, she could quit her day job and be a professional baker but she doesn't and I think that says a lot about her!
I wish I could nominate two people though, because I'd absolutely also nominate our Tricia Salata, who has been Mrs. Fredrickson's aide for both years! Tricia has such a sense of humor and it really seems like she doesn't allow anything to phase her. She's always ready to help with whatever, with skill and efficiency.
These two women have made such an incredible team and even as things have gotten difficult at times, neither has wavered in their dependability and love for educating these kids.
Thank you for the opportunity to highlight two of our amazing group of staff!
Kayla Lyons"
You can learn more about the Homegrown Hero award at https://www.stldairycouncil.org/homegrown-hero