January 27, 2025
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
Three Rutherford County employees and a bus contractor were awarded with a Strong Outstanding Staff award during the School Board meeting on Jan. 23.
The program aims to honor employees from one of four categories: Transportation, Support Staff, Administration, and Teachers. One employee from each category will be selected each month, based on public nominations.
The following employees were recognized:
- Gary Carter, Bus contractor, David Youree Elementary School
- Shannon Ingram, sixth grade social studies teacher at Rockvale Middle School
- Stephen Wayne, Principal, Rock Spring Middle School
- Jesse Geasley, custodian at Rockvale Elementary School
The awards are being sponsored by the Sonic Drive-In restaurants in Rutherford County. Chris Spraggins and Alan Scheuers — supervising partners with the local Sonic Drive-ins — presented gift cards to the four employees during the awards recognition.
To nominate an employee, members of the public are invited to complete this online form (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=j8uWO0wXZUuC61zDi54GbBRJIiZthSFMqwxBn5teKzxUOVdYSk9LNkpGRTNIRldGSVY2OFdFNktBQy4u). Those employees will then be entered into a random drawing to be recognized each month.
Below are some of the comments provided on the nominations forms for the four most recent winners:
Gary Carter, Bus Contractor
Mr. Carter was nominated by Monica Wilkerson, principal at David Youree Elementary School.
“He works with the school and the driver of his bus to make sure all students are safe and provided safe transportation to school and home,” Wilkerson said. “He recently worked with us to help a student that was struggling on the bus to follow the rules. His dedication not only helped the student, it helped a driver, and many others.”
Shannon Ingram - sixth grade social studies teacher at Rockvale Middle School
Ms. Ingram was nominated by one of her students.
“She is really helpful, she helps us take notes, and breaks lessons up,” the student said.
Stephen Wayne - Principal of Rock Springs Middle School
Mr. Wayne was nominated by one of his teachers.
“Mr. Wayne is the best school leader I have had the pleasure of working for,” the nomination said. “He is personable, cares about his staff, their lives/families, and has a strong love for our school and our students. He is very involved in our PLCs, data meetings, and is present in the hallways and classrooms. Mr. Wayne is respected and loved because of his high expectations and the high level of support for our staff and students. I am very thankful to have him as our school administrator. He is an amazing role model!”
Jesse Geasley - Rockvale Elementary custodian
Mr. Geasley received 55 nominations from employees at Rockvale.
“Mr. Jesse goes above and beyond the call of duty as head of our custodial crew. He takes such pride in our school and always has a smile for everyone. You can see him each morning blowing leaves from the sidewalks, picking up bits of paper that have fallen out of cars, and he even adds a personal touch by folding toilet paper like in a fancy hotel to start the day. He genuinely is so kind to students and teachers and is always ready to lend a hand,” the nomination said.