Hunt Middle School cook and assistant principal honored after CPR response to a co-worker's emergency

A cook and an assistant principal at Hunt Middle School are Frisco ISD's summer Standing Ovation Award winners, recognized for how they responded when a co-worker had a medical emergency at the school.

The district announced the awards Thursday, Oct. 15. According to Frisco ISD, cook Faleasha Goden called for emergency help right away, and Jennifer Penny, then the campus's assistant principal, started CPR on the colleague. The district's announcement did not say when the emergency happened or identify the employee who was treated.

Both were nominated by Victoria Williams, Hunt's former principal. Williams said Goden's "calm demeanor and quick, decisive action ensured that help was activated right away and contributed to a life-saving response." Of Penny, she said her "quick thinking, calm demeanor, and decisive action played a vital role in saving a life."

The Standing Ovation Award is meant for non-teaching staff whose work makes a difference for their campuses and co-workers, and the district noted that principals do not usually receive it. Penny now leads Clark Middle School and was honored for what she did in her earlier job, the district said.

Spring honorees

Frisco ISD also named its March and April winners the same day:

Maria Noriega, a custodian at Isbell Elementary School for more than 20 years. Co-workers told the district she arrives early to make coffee for staff, greets students by name and made time each day to speak in Spanish with a new student who was still learning English.
Nabila Yasser, a special education resource paraprofessional at Minett Elementary School. Colleagues said she gets to know every child in the classrooms she works in, not only those on her caseload, and steps in wherever she is needed.

"Her professionalism, compassion and dedication make a lasting impact not only on students, but on staff and families as well," one of Yasser's colleagues said in the district's announcement.

Sources

friscoisd.org

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