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A school safety officer whose rapid responses may have saved two lives led Fairfax County Public Schools’ employee recognitions for October 2025.
Officer Dani Khalife was honored for separate emergencies at Westlawn Elementary School and a School Board meeting. At Westlawn, he found two people behaving unusually inside a parked vehicle, recognized that one appeared to be in medical distress, provided aid and summoned medics and police. That person was taken to a hospital and was reportedly recovering.
During the second incident, Khalife discovered an unconscious person on a sidewalk. He immediately requested medical assistance and worked with bystanders to revive the person until medics arrived.
Other regional honorees included Cunningham Park Elementary teachers Meg Burnside, Maldonado Montecinos and Mattie Edmonston, who surprised a car-loving student with a birthday drive-by; Haycock Elementary teacher Catie Bartczak, whose weekly kindness challenges inspired children to help at home and school; and Mount Vernon High School administrative and principal’s assistant Veronda Grimes, recognized for calmly supporting students, families and employees while also coaching cheerleaders.
Union Mill Elementary family liaison Mindy Cucci received three nominations for helping Spanish-speaking and military-connected families, providing translations, supporting registrations and assisting the front office. Wakefield Forest Elementary custodian Daud Ahmed was celebrated for his upbeat presence, efficient work and patient response when students make accidental messes.
Annandale High School employees Cass Hersh and Jennifer Cory were honored for helping Bryant High School establish nearby Saturday IPFIT sessions, including supplying headphones and space for individual speaking lessons.
The October submissions also recognized dozens of employees whose work ranged from classroom instruction and counseling to transportation, technology, maintenance and emergency assistance.
At Frost Middle School, Amanda Kamen earned praise for adapting to varied student needs and helping colleagues with classroom management and technology. Anthony Harris, Maria Giro Martin, Melba Hawkins, Dan Joo, Larkin Gibas, Becky Mendoza, Kathryn Webb, Megan Dunn, Richard Deixler, Jared Shields, Shannon Lee and Dan Porter were also commended for teaching, counseling, leadership, student support and school activities.
Other classroom honorees included Columbia Elementary preschool teacher Vincent Camacho, who created an inclusive environment for students with autism; Hayfield Secondary special education teacher and Navy veteran Paul Shaskan; Lake Braddock theater director John Tourtellotte; Robinson Secondary teacher Joseph Patton; Rocky Run Middle School teacher Luke Williams; and Forestdale Elementary educator Melissa Richardson.
Educators also recognized included Rennea Butler of Forest Edge Elementary, Brooke Johnson and Danielle Rodriguez of Fort Hunt Elementary, Adrienne Weber and Aimee Cabrera of Mount Eagle Elementary, Jazzmin Dabney and Hannah Bowman of Providence Elementary, Ryan Barber, Cristina Grieco-Kang, Kat Clifford and Gail Heidt of Floris Elementary, and Sarah Speight of Sangster Elementary.
At Haycock Elementary, fifth-grade teachers Kathy Williams, Jeff LeLoup, Katie Hopping, Emma Cavil, Jamie Arbesfeld, Jeff Morrow and Patti Harling-Gray were praised for organizing an overnight trip to Camp Highroad. Music teacher Olivia Johnson was recognized for making music welcoming to students of all ages, while Yujin Choi created detailed scheduling tools to help staff locate sixth-graders throughout the day.
Several employees were commended for helping students overcome academic or personal obstacles. Lake Braddock’s Hany Eldeib provided daily mentoring and family communication for a student trying to complete 11th and 12th grades together. Bryant High School teacher Hannah Wiley helped a student who had never passed a high school science class feel confident about succeeding. Westfield High School teacher Michael Murphy repeatedly checked on a student recovering from a concussion and offered extended deadlines.
Bryant employees received numerous honors. Jennifer Correia was praised for supporting students pursuing GED equivalency, while Amanda Bowser helped students stay on track for graduation at Lewis High School. Bryant literacy specialist Meaghan Dobson led work to identify students needing English-language-development services. John Stimac supplied detailed attendance data, and Eugenio Fischer helped seniors create graduation plans and reconnect with alternative diploma pathways.
Bryant counselors Margaret Veenstra, Marie Harley, Stephanie Lemus-Ortiz and Ameen Jackson were recognized for taking on added caseloads, senior meetings and students’ social and emotional needs. Lemus-Ortiz also organized a Hispanic Heritage Week intended to celebrate culture across the school community.
Technology and instructional-support employees were honored for solving problems and training colleagues. Michael Sanchez and Simon Tham helped staff navigate MyPDE, Mike Lis guided a colleague through a complicated spreadsheet project, and Philip Jeffers spent weeks following up on persistent computer trouble before responding within minutes to another meeting-room problem.
Liam Ryde resolved an urgent Friday-afternoon technology issue, reimaged an office’s computers and followed up with its employees. Khalid Habib helped a retired teacher with a laptop and passwords, Alicia Fyfe restored a colleague’s computer settings after reimaging, and Shun Walloe quickly resolved an expired password and outdated multifactor-authentication setup.
Kelle Lyn Paige was recognized for mathematics training designed to strengthen algebra readiness and differentiated instruction. All middle-school advanced academic resource teachers attending her most recent session reported feeling better prepared to coach mathematics teachers. Shiho Thompson modeled culturally responsive teaching strategies, while Christian Lanzaro helped educators implement the Summit K12 pilot for multilingual learners.
Megan Keane, Megan Jameyson and Maggie Brown supplied classroom examples for a School Board presentation on artificial intelligence. Their work featured translated stories, a customized biology NotebookLM and students using Adobe Express to develop literacy skills. Margaret Kivlen combined the submitted material into a polished video on short notice.
Kristen Zemba coordinated Playlab AI Challenge training at Chantilly High School. Willow Oaks educational-technology staff Heather Dorman, Christine Arocho, Lindsey Fisher, Lynette Webster, Jenny Collins, Rachel Singer, Erin Murtagh and Elizabeth McDowell helped create the Tech and Treat professional-development program, which reached more than 280 employees at 15 locations.
Transportation employees were recognized for returning lost belongings. Bus driver Dawn Rowland found an almost-new iPhone wedged in a seat and waited for the student’s family to retrieve it. Candi Wilson, Jeffrey Schwing and Martha Buluts coordinated the return of a student’s group Halloween costume in time for a school event.
Facilities workers also received praise. Sideburn Support Center employees Matthew Wilson, Charles Driver and Larry Smith designed and installed a cost-conscious outdoor lighting display for Fairfax High School’s homecoming dance. Refrigeration technicians Joseph Gurham and Tri Thai repaired a rooftop walk-in freezer and cooler at Woodson High School within hours despite rainy weather.
Brookfield Elementary custodian Arely Ruiz maintained clean, welcoming spaces while the school operated with 24 classrooms and offices in trailers during renovations. Woodson custodian Karam Saadalla stopped his work to carry a colleague’s heavy bags and ensure she reached her car safely while suffering from a swollen knee.
The Irving Middle School team of Danielle Tillman, Meg Gollinger, Sarah Padilla, Katie Shea, Benjamin Simpson and Stephen Hudson packed belongings and moved furniture after dismissal so two classrooms could be exchanged and ready for students the following morning.
Emergency response and health support featured in several nominations. Providence Elementary clinic providers Kimberly Cicero and Renee Basile were recognized for managing illnesses and medications while assisting during a staff medical emergency. West Springfield High School counselor Skyler Fulton calmly followed procedures when a student experienced a medical crisis. South Lakes theater teacher Michael Viola provided quiet dressing rooms for required hearing and vision screenings, contributing to an 80% improvement in hearing-screening data.
Breanne Melikan of the Alan Leis Center joined a difficult family-support call near the end of the workday after a school family experienced profound grief and trauma. She then assumed additional responsibilities to help meet the family’s needs. Jennifer Pallotto similarly set aside her schedule to comfort a school community during a crisis.
Additional honorees included employees who supported multilingual families, students with disabilities, new arrivals and children facing anxiety. They included Lamia Mamouri of Providence Elementary, Ileana Cerda of South Lakes High School, Marien Ochoa of Justice High School, Cory Walker of Lake Braddock Secondary, Farhat Ahmad of Hunt Valley Elementary and Sarah Zamfir of Forest Edge Elementary.
Counselors and family-support employees recognized during the month included Kirsten Wiley of Falls Church High School, Sandi Yost and Leigh Ashurst of Keene Mill Elementary, Jodey Creighton of Forest Edge Elementary and Sherwood Avery and Allyson Weingast of Kent Gardens Elementary.
The submissions also celebrated acts of service beyond regular duties. Lake Braddock testing coordinator Kim Hammond helped students and staff resolve Bluebook problems during PSAT and SAT administration. Brian Kaufman supported technical and facility needs for a Langley High School event attended by more than 400 people. Elizabeth Campbell devoted extensive time to an international student exchange at Robinson Secondary.
At Westlawn Elementary, Grant Maloney, Griffin Graves, Samira Schneider, Joann Chae, Andre Jackson, Deirdre Ladd and Christoph Hill volunteered at the school’s first fall festival. Some took whipped-cream pies from students, while others provided music and supervised activities.
The month’s recognitions extended to longtime community contributors such as Mount Eagle Elementary’s Juana Tlatelpa, who has spent nearly three decades supporting families, translating during health-related calls and combining empathy with clear expectations.
Even the smallest assistance earned appreciation. Franklin Middle School’s Amanda Lombardi was thanked simply for changing a colleague’s recess duty—a brief acknowledgment included alongside the many extensive accounts of employees helping students, families and one another.