We have taken some time to divide up the category of “support staff” into another category because we have taken on a lot more para-professionals and in class aids this year to better support our students. The new category includes those who work specifically in classroom settings and in other ways directly with the students of Wyandotte Public Schools. This includes para-professionals, reading specialists, speech therapists, and others that we rely on to more effectively service the students of WPS. Our 2021/2022 Wyandotte Educational Support Staff Member of the Year is Mrs. Phyllis McKibben. Phyllis began employment here in August of 2009 as a paraprofessional assisting with speech teletherapy. She received her Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Credential from the Oklahoma State Department of Education in September 2015. She began working as our on site speech therapist at that point. She takes pride in her work and is a special asset to the district.
She was also nominated a number of times by those who know enough to appreciate the job she does. One nominator said, “Mrs. McKibben is always so kind & willing to help those students that she assists with their learning needs. She always goes above & beyond to make sure that she sees them on their scheduled day & time. She calls & checks on those students if she has not seen them due to the student missing school.” Another said, “She always has that positive smile when you see her. She always makes the kids feel welcomed and loved!” Still another said, “I do not work directly with Mrs. Phyllis, but from what I have seen she is always willing to jump in and help wherever needed and with the biggest smile to share.” And finally one other said, “Ms. Phyllis is always busy! She is continually pulling students, taking care of IEP meetings, speaking with parents, planning and discussing with teachers, and doing various extra duties. Ms. Phyllis is always busy going above and beyond. She NEVER strays from her schedule, which means she is continually working with kids. You can always count on her to know exactly what is going on with each of her students. She has great ideas and is more than willing to try different strategies to meet student needs. On top of doing her job extremely well, she does it with a fabulous attitude! This woman is always kind and thoughtful. She is patient with students and staff. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face.”
The Wyandotte Elementary principal, Ms. Roxanne McCain said, “Mrs. McKibben always makes her students feel welcomed and loved. She does her job extremely well and with a fabulous attitude. She is always kind and thoughtful. She is patient with students and staff. Mrs. McKibben ALWAYS has a smile on her face. Mrs. McKibben is an asset to Wyandotte Public Schools.”
It is difficult to overstate the value of “Miss Phyllis” to our district. Our 2021/2022 Wyandotte Public Schools Educational Support Staff Member of the Year: Mrs. Phyllis McKibben.