Stockbridge Area Educational Foundation President Jennifer Hammerberg and teacher Kerri Allen following the announcement of the Mitteer Employee of the Year.
Kerri Allen, an elementary school teacher in Stockbridge since 1995, was selected as the 2018 Helen B. Mitteer Employee of the Year by the Stockbridge Area Educational Foundation.
“Kerri Allen stands out as one of the most caring teachers with whom I’ve worked,” said Brad Edwards, Smith Elementary School principal. “She has a unique ability to build and maintain relationships with students and parents. She uses that ability to differentiate teaching skills to meet the needs of every student.”
Allen not only is a consistently effective teacher, but volunteers for difficult assignments, mentors new teachers and “is always stepping forward to show leadership and professional thought,” Edwards says.
A Stockbridge High School graduate, Allen received a degree from Adrian College and earned her Master of Arts from Marygrove College.
“She and her husband, Jason, own a local business, The Rush, so they are very connected to our community,” Edwards continued. “Kerri uses those relationships to motivate her students to learn.”
When asked, a former student fondly remembered Allen.
“She pushed us to do well every day, but most importantly, she treated each of us as if we were her own child. That was a wonderful feeling!” the student said.
The Helen B. Mitteer Employee of the Year Award is presented annually to a Stockbridge School District employee based on staff and community nominations.
Award recipient Kerri Allen pictured with daughter Keana, husband Jason, grandson Levi and mother Mary Carpenter.
In 2003, at the suggestion of SAEF member Doreen White, the Stockbridge Schools Employee of the Year Award was established. It served to recognize, on a yearly basis, the care provided to district students by so many exceptional Stockbridge staff.
At about the same time a fund was established with SAEF to honor the memory of Helen B. Mitteer, a dedicated and beloved Stockbridge teacher.
In 2013, the foundation acted on the suggestion of Dan Dancer, a Mitteer family member, and merged the Mitteer Fund with the Employee of the Year Award. This allowed a donation honorarium to be attached to the award. The 2018 award comes with $1,500, which will be donated in Kerri Allen’s name to the school district program of her choice.
Members of the Stockbridge Community Schools staff applaud following the announcement of the Mitteer award recipient.
