Kim Leverett, an Administrative Assistant in the Oakdale Joint Unified School District office, and Annabeth Alcazar, an English Language Program Instructional Aide at Sierra View Elementary School, will be among 28 classified school employees in Stanislaus County honored today, Tuesday, Jan. 22, at a special reception held at the Martin G. Petersen Event Center, 720 12th St., Modesto.

The Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Stanislaus Charter sponsor the event that recognizes outstanding classified (non-supervisory) education employees in Stanislaus County through a program called “Employees Making a Difference.” School districts throughout the county selected their own honorees and forwarded nominations to SCOE.

Stanislaus County Superintendent of Schools Tom Changnon said that classified employees are unsung heroes who work behind the scenes and are critical to the education of children.

Five of the 28 nominees will be selected and announced at the reception to represent Stanislaus County in the California School Employee of the Year program, coordinated by the California Department of Education.

Employees were nominated from the following service areas: Child Nutrition; Maintenance/Operations; Office/Technical; Para Educators/Instructional Assistants; and Support Services/Security. Each district was eligible to send in a certain number of nominees based on district Average Daily Attendance (i.e.; 0-4999 students = one nominee; 5,000-9,999 students = two nominees; 10,000- 20,000 students = three nominees; 20,000 or more students = four nominees).