Seven Polk County schools employees have died of COVID in the past month theledger.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theledger.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maude Graham, 40, a third-grade teacher at Rosabelle Blake Academy, was named Teacher of the Year for her incorporation of hands-on reading and writing activities, including scavenger hunts, rope climbing excursions and other out-of-the-box lessons. She also shares her life story with various groups, serves as a mentor, organizes parent/teacher events and spearheads a leadership program for third- through fifth-graders called “Leader in Me.”
Lisa Gill, a paraeducator at Jesse Keen Elementary School in Lakeland, was named School-Related Employee of the Year. She oversees the school s weekend backpack distribution program to make sure students have enough to eat. Following Hurricane Irma, she worked with First United Methodist Church to create a food and supply bank at the school and helped find housing for families whose homes were damaged.