This month we are excited to recognize Gwen Coulson, the Administrative Secretary in our Teacher Onboarding & Instructional Coaching department. Here’s what one of her colleagues had to say about her:

“It is an honor to nominate Gwen for this award in recognition of her excellent leadership, operational abilities, and unmatched dedication during this year’s New Teacher Orientation. While hosting this event falls within her regular responsibilities, Gwen executed her duties to the absolute maximum this year, transforming a complex logistical challenge into one of the smoothest and most successful orientations our organization has ever experienced. This year, Gwen stepped into a demanding new role, taking full ownership of the master schedule and presenter management. This required her to track fluctuating hire counts across every individual department, build an entirely new system to keep the moving parts aligned, and maintain seamless communication with dozens of presenters and department heads. Her exceptional organizational skills were put to the test on the day of the event. Due to late-stage hiring, numerous new teachers came to the event without registering. Without missing a beat, Gwen adapted instantly, adding these last-minute hires into the system, assigning them to the correct rooms, and ensuring they felt welcomed rather than overwhelmed. Gwen’s attention to detail spanned every part of the two-day event. She coordinated seamlessly with Olympus custodial and office staff, managed room assignments, handled snacks, and ensured that lunch was perfectly timed and executed on both days. Culturally, she went above and beyond by designing a beautiful thematic backdrop and decorating the tables and hallways, creating an energetic and exciting environment for our incoming educators. Furthermore, she acted as an ambassador for our external partners, ensuring that the Granite Education Foundation successfully moved their new teacher store onto campus, and that representatives from the GEA and the American Federation of Teachers felt welcomed and well-positioned. What makes Gwen’s performance truly remarkable is the chaotic environment in which she pulled this off. While anchoring this massive event, she was simultaneously navigating active construction teams in the main office, managing complex purchasing workflows, and dealing with significant administrative friction regarding office cubicle logistics. Despite these compounding stressors, Gwen never complained, never asked for help, and never lost her focus. Her clear communication became the hallmark of the event, with attendees explicitly noting in their feedback that this was one of the most organized and seamless orientations they have ever attended. Gwen did not just complete her job this year—she mastered it under pressure, proving once again that she is an invaluable asset to our team.“

Thank you, Gwen for all you do to Go the Extra Mile in all you do!