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Fairfax County Public Schools recognized dozens of employees and teams through its March 2025 FCPS CARES program, highlighting acts that ranged from feeding more than 1,600 students during a power outage to performing the Heimlich maneuver on a student.
Amanda Alsbaugh of Oak View Elementary was named the Region 4 FCPS CARES of the Quarter recipient for spring 2025. The school’s special education and local screening chair was honored for mentoring teachers, supporting administrators and advocating for children throughout assessment and eligibility processes.
Regional honorees
Central Office recognition went to Food and Nutrition Services employees Tatiana Sanchez, Maria Angulo, Max Mongkolrattanatorn, Yolanda Barboza, Nubia Bonilla Euceda, Pakamas Davidson, Kim Ensley, Graciela Guevara, Seung Hur, Sun Kang, Japinder Kaur, Paramjit Kaur, Mi Kim, Mija Lee, Hue Long-Tran, Phuc Luu, Elka Morales Lopez, Ranjit Nijjar, Li Wang and Jun Zhu.
When Robinson Secondary School suddenly lost power on March 3, the team prepared meals for more than 1,600 students in a dim kitchen. Employees used cellphone flashlights to serve food and record lunch numbers, allowing students to choose from the regular menu despite the outage.
Region 1 honored Navy Elementary literacy leader Rebecca Schnabel. Her work implementing Benchmark Advance, coaching teachers and organizing the “Navy’s Big Top Book Bash” was credited with supporting schoolwide literacy gains. One student moved from below expectations in phonological awareness to a maximum winter i-Ready score after an eight-week intervention Schnabel helped coordinate.
Region 2 recognized Timber Lane Elementary’s ESOL team: Clara Villalobos Cortes, Catherine Muha, Scott Taggart, Tricia Tyskowski and Elizabeth Smith. Their implementation of Benchmark Express became a model for regional professional development, with recordings of their lessons shared more broadly.
Region 3 honored Edison High School employees Charles Armstrong and Greg Dombrowski. Armstrong performed the Heimlich maneuver on a student while Dombrowski quickly alerted the school nurse.
Region 5 recognized Jesus Henriquez Otero of Stone Middle School for his daily encouragement of students and staff and his care for the building. After strong winds knocked over a small tree in the parking lot, he brought the proper equipment and removed it while keeping up with his other duties.
Region 6 honored Christina Cashman, Roseann Contreras and Stephanie Dawley for organizing Lewis High School’s new “WIDA-palooza” assessment model. They prepared multilingual learners and staff, built a schedule designed to limit missed instruction and helped the school test 97% of identified students.
Support for students and families
Deidre Butler of Franconia Elementary was recognized for individualized academic and personal support that helped a student receiving special education services build skills and confidence.
At McLean High School, Joy Korones helped a student regain confidence during a difficult transition to high school. At Chantilly High, Kristin Dreyer worked with the engineering program to create specialized 3D-printed handwriting supports for a student. Dwayne Peyton was praised for years of responsive counseling, while Elizabeth Case was recognized for teaching students with disabilities, coaching Special Olympics and starting a class business.
Laura Dailey, a social worker at Eagle View Elementary, connected a formerly homeless family with resources that helped them obtain permanent housing. She then spent a day helping the family move and worked with Gracing Spaces to furnish the apartment.
Kaitlin Wilson-Vogel, assistant principal at Eagle View’s Comprehensive Services Site, was honored for her special education expertise, careful communication and hands-on leadership during crises.
Erin Wallace of the Willow Oaks Administrative Center helped a family secure an appropriate placement for a child after a lengthy process. Cathy Wood, assistant principal at Laurel Ridge Elementary, was recognized for supporting special education plans and advocating for twice-exceptional learners.
Leann Parente of Fairview Elementary supported a family through meetings with service agencies, identified possible programs and ensured the parent’s perspective was represented.
Alyssa Berg, a first-year speech teacher at Lees Corner Elementary, helped nonverbal students keep communication devices with them throughout the day. She created tracking tools, posters, desk mats and recess baskets while helping staff learn how to support the devices.
Colleen Wood, a physical therapist serving Union Mill Elementary and nine other schools, trained staff and supported students’ mobility needs in classrooms, physical education and recess.
Special transportation employees Abdullahi Alasso, Abdulwahab Minni, Pawan Rijal and Javairia Khalil were commended for treating a Bailey’s Upper Elementary student with safety, patience and dignity. Stonecroft Transportation Center employees Lisa Davis and Michael Cifci helped a Fairfax High School student return from homebound instruction and supported the student through a later crisis.
West Springfield Elementary bus driver Archawin Rochanavibhata was recognized for safely transporting children while greeting them warmly and making each student feel valued.
Pam Lieber of Kings Park Elementary was praised for helping children experiencing school refusal during morning arrival. Lisa Sonntag and Kathy Popovich of Kings Glen Elementary noticed a student had left her house key at school, contacted the family after dismissal and offered to deliver it.
Erin Kemp of Lake Anne Elementary was honored for building strong relationships with special education students, closing academic gaps and giving families clear information about progress. Jenna Brennan of Bull Run Elementary was recognized for redesigning her classroom, adding visual supports and differentiating instruction in her first year as a noncategorical special education teacher.
Teachers making a difference
Navy Elementary teachers Chrissy McLaughlin and Kristen Scudder were recognized for encouraging creativity, critical thinking and real-world projects. Denise Altman of Waples Mill Elementary earned praise for engaging lessons, family communication and flexibility with different learning styles.
Sara James of Hayfield Secondary was described as a patient and energetic civics teacher. Nancy Palmer de Sanchez of Lake Braddock Secondary was recognized for bringing Spanish language and culture to life through meaningful instruction.
Natalie Farazmand created a welcoming English classroom for seventh graders at Lake Braddock Secondary. Jennifer Fulton of Robinson Secondary encouraged an anxious student to attempt an International Baccalaureate course and helped rebuild the student’s confidence when challenges arose.
Diana Glaser and Nancy Wanzer helped a McLean High School student strengthen her writing and successfully complete a presentation she had dreaded. At Lake Braddock, Nancy Boscia offered a colleague a safe place to discuss a difficult school day.
Ann McMichael of Fort Hunt Elementary was praised for helping colleagues bridge language gaps in an immersion program and for bringing organization and warmth to a classroom she joined midyear. Amaya Appellaniz quickly became a valued Fort Hunt teacher after moving to a new school and state, while instructional assistant Zeeba Saleem was recognized for building respectful relationships and calmly defusing conflict. Rosa Dobarco was honored for making Fort Hunt welcoming to staff, students, parents and visitors.
Amy Spiess of Bailey’s Elementary brought enthusiasm, patience and kindness to music instruction and school performances. Sherry Watkins of Bull Run Elementary created an inclusive morning meeting where visiting students could participate with their peers.
Allison Lukac of Kings Park Elementary supported fellow teachers and mentored Young Scholars. Anna Chamberlain assisted daily in Haycock Elementary’s library and sometimes served as a substitute during her time off.
At Cameron Elementary, Sarai Brown and Kylee Marciello were thanked for adapting to changing student needs and extending support to additional children. Joel Ovando was recognized for his calm, patient work with special education students experiencing challenging behavior.
Laura Waterman of Westfield High School was honored for managing adult and student volunteers at the 2025 Family Summit, including helping with setup the night before and remaining through final cleanup.
Emma Mangels of Cunningham Park Elementary was praised for leading with fairness, kindness and resilience during a challenging year. Raynell Crook of Johnson Middle School created a safe, creative arts classroom, while Anna Sengstack provided two Area Orchestra sessions for elementary musicians in the Fairfax Pyramid on her own time.
Margaret Evans of West Potomac High School came in during a weekend to decorate staff bathrooms and was recognized for routinely staying late. Jean-Marie Simpson supported advisory classes during a colleague’s medical absence.
At Hayfield Secondary, Larry Tanh was commended for coordinating special education meetings and arranging teacher coverage. Anna Maria Fonseca Carvalhais was recognized for going beyond her substitute-teaching responsibilities at Bull Run Elementary.
Leadership, safety and school operations
Shanti Cole became a trusted and responsive member of Twain Middle School’s safety and security team. Shannon Harrigan of West Potomac High School calmly de-escalated a potentially disruptive situation by listening to a student, validating the student’s concerns and helping the student look forward.
Sebastian Cabezas-Basto spoke with West Potomac students about academic support, trusted adults and classroom success. Daniel Seidenberg explained changes to Virginia’s accreditation formula to English teachers outside the science department he serves.
Leonel Teller’s emergency medical instruction at West Potomac prepared a 16-year-old student for an EMT ride-along during which she assisted with CPR, recognized signs of a stroke and inserted an IV. The experience reinforced her plans to study nursing.
Chris Ann Evans of Robinson Secondary assisted a student through a personal emergency when the student’s parent could not quickly reach the school. Jamee Lyons, a Robinson middle school counselor, was praised as a calm, creative and persistent student advocate.
Karen Young and Charlette Jefferson-Dixon helped coordinate a trip to Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale campus for students from West Potomac and Edison Academy. Their meetings, emails and detailed tracking allowed students to travel through the most practical location and helped the visitors feel included.
Alejandra Mendez Orellana welcomed a late-arriving visitor to Woodson High School with a map and personalized directions. Latrena Warthen was recognized for caring for Mountain View High School’s campus while mentoring students and watching out for staff safety.
At Haycock Elementary, Yujin Choi, Deborah Felix and Cathie Eames helped manage a three-hour early dismissal, staff absences and kindergarten orientation on the same day.
Al Bunaugh and Juan Machuca of the Gatehouse Administrative Center taught a colleague new computer skills and helped with unfamiliar programs. Ana Pleitez provided discreet, last-minute notary assistance during a sensitive employee matter, while Terri Smith went beyond her normal Benefits Office duties to help a retired educator resolve a problem.
Tommy Burke was praised for fast, accurate guidance during school hiring. His work helped administrators process requests and retain qualified applicants.
Michael Kucharczyk of Willow Oaks provided school leaders with data guidance as they worked on improvement plans and prepared for Virginia’s new accreditation and accountability system.
Michael Sanchez supported the MyPDE application, colleagues, vendors and other departments through troubleshooting, coordination and proactive communication. Emma Ascencio assisted colleagues with budget transfers, purchase orders, credit-card purchases and other financial work.
Michele Anwyll of Fairview Park helped a longtime teacher understand the DROP retirement program, answering questions during a meeting and in follow-up emails.
Randy Peery of Woodson Annex-IT kept staff laptops operating and taught colleagues how to solve technology problems themselves. Keith Walker of the Wilton Woods Center supported the SIS secondary gradebook upgrade and investigated the root causes of problems.
Christian Aponte and the Office of Cybersecurity worked with a colleague seeking access to a blocked resource, weighing its value against possible security risks and discussing ways to reduce those risks.
Diego Pineda-Palacios, Maggy Pye and Hans Crist of the Sideburn Support Center safely used a lift to assess and replace lights in Frost Middle School’s vaulted library ceiling.
Andrew Reinoso and a facilities team responded to North Springfield Elementary in less than 24 hours after fallen trees made a track unsafe. They also repaired fencing, filled field craters, reseeded grass and removed heavy brush before a running club and mile events began.
Programs, events and community building
Karen Durocher led volunteer planning for the 2025 Family Summit, recruiting and organizing participants and arriving early for setup. Laura Waterman also managed volunteers and stayed through cleanup.
Renee LaHuffman-Jackson, Krystle Trammell and Shannon Anderson organized childcare staffing, materials, registration and child-tracking systems for the summit. Kim Sigle secured food estimates, helped with setup and breakdown, and recruited her husband to train for first-aid support.
Brittany Vigil and Michelle Henry gave up a Friday afternoon to prepare the summit site. Keyanna Williams provided accessibility guidance, built and revised websites and worked under accelerated deadlines. Family Summit work also drew recognition for Karen Durocher, Laura Waterman and other steering committee members who handled planning and event operations.
Holly Tate and Rolling Valley Elementary’s committee organized the school’s first STEAM Night. Families used “Adventure Logs” while completing hands-on activities involving computational thinking, mathematics, engineering and computer science. The team offered its resources to other schools.
Jenny Murray of Union Mill Elementary helped raise more than $29,000 for the American Heart Association while leading or supporting student government, Unified Sports, Get2Green, volleyball, Autism Acceptance and physical education activities. She maintained the work despite an increased teaching load caused by a colleague’s injury and leave.
Susan Byrd, Evan Downs, Jill Meiring, Grace Chandler, Kaylee Armstead and Meagan Tubbs planned and delivered Lake Braddock Secondary’s Fanquest event. Trevor Thibeault separately stepped in to help the school’s administrative team while it was short-staffed.
Cheryl Dewenter, Steve McBride, Dawn Gillis, Jacqueline Durr, Allison Gardiner, Grace Yakubisin and Katie Parish prepared Langston Hughes Middle School students for sold-out performances of “Matilda Jr.”
Lawrence Cooper and Tonja Diggs organized West Potomac High School’s annual Black History Month luncheon on Feb. 27. Students, teachers, volunteers and safety and security employees spent more than four hours serving staff amid displays of Black history photographs and memorabilia.
Heather Dorman organized a March 7 learning day at Cooper Middle School focused on artificial intelligence tools, goal setting and instructional planning. Laura Reed presented Google Vids, Elizabeth McDowell demonstrated NotebookLM, and Summer Johnson and Pamela Galietta discussed Gemini tools for lesson planning, feedback and data analysis.
Kristin Bretz, Stephen Giese, Julie Halse, Kurt Kohls and Brandon Smith explored advanced Gemini tools and identified possible efficiencies involving documents, Google Sheets and custom Gems. Lori Purvis was recognized twice for detailed staff training and for sharing her expertise during a session on Google Advanced Gemini applications.
Adam Schechter organized a learning day for high school technology specialists at Lewis High School, including tours, a student panel and professional collaboration centered on learning.
Brandon Kosatka introduced a pilot for loading Common App schools into Naviance. The new process reduced errors, improved the accuracy of the senior survey and was credited with saving hundreds of hours across FCPS.
Mary Ann Smith and Lori Purvis of the Nancy Sprague Technology Center were praised for patient, responsive adult training. Terry Rihl of Library Support Services located and processed a box of books among hundreds of orders so a school library would have them before an author’s visit.
Laura Reed, Elizabeth McDowell, Summer Johnson and Pamela Galietta were also recognized for helping Cooper teachers explore classroom uses of video, NotebookLM and Gemini integrations.
Everyday acts of care
Karen Durocher, Laura Waterman, Keyanna Williams and other Family Summit contributors were among many employees honored for work that often happened behind the scenes.
Walter Bagwell of Oakton High School visited a former student in the hospital during a weekend. Duc Hua of Falls Church High School learned colleagues’ names and delivered food with consistent accuracy and kindness.
Duc Hua’s daily greetings were credited with making staff at the Graham Road Transition Support Resource Center feel valued. Nelson Villalobos received two recognitions for being dependable, helping in any role, communicating respectfully and creating a safe, caring environment at the center.
Al Bunaugh, Juan Machuca, Ana Pleitez, Tommy Burke, Terri Smith and other Gatehouse employees were honored for responsive assistance that helped colleagues complete work or navigate difficult situations.
Mary Strait of Cedar Lane Center was recognized as an empathetic and dependable colleague who supports students and coworkers even when managing a heavy workload. Anna Chamberlain of Haycock Elementary was praised for relationships built across the school.
Duc Hua, Ana Maria Fonseca Carvalhais and Alejandra Mendez Orellana were among employees recognized for making routine interactions welcoming and supportive.
Rosa Dobarco and Zeeba Saleem were celebrated for kindness and relationship-building at Fort Hunt Elementary. Amaya Appellaniz was recognized both as a colleague who praised others and as an educator whose energy and compassion quickly strengthened the school.
Deidre Butler, Joy Korones, Jamee Lyons, Erin Kemp, Jennifer Fulton and many other educators were recognized through family accounts describing how a trusted adult helped a child feel safe, capable or understood.
Other honorees included Michael Ross-supported colleagues Al Bunaugh and Juan Machuca; Family Summit volunteers and organizers; data, finance and technology specialists; transportation teams; facilities workers; classroom teachers; counselors; administrators; instructional assistants and support employees throughout FCPS.
Together, the March submissions documented both emergency actions and quieter contributions—from saving a choking student and serving lunch by flashlight to helping families find housing, building student confidence and making schools more welcoming each day.