At Kalles Junior High, Karle Pitts is a security guard that prides himself in teaching students how to be accountable for their actions. Laura Johnston, a paraeducator at Sunrise Elementary, makes sure students are mastering their reading. And Heidi Fraser, at Puyallup High School, for several years served as a library specialist and ensured students had full access to the library and were getting the help they needed.

All three classified employees were recognized as Puyallup School District Classified School Employees of the Year for 2012 and honored and celebrated by their peers at the Dec. 10 Puyallup School Board meeting.

“This is a wonderful feeling,” Johnston said. “I felt very proud to be recognized and grateful.”

Johnston started as a paraeducator at Sunrise in 2000. Johnston works two hours per day with Title 1 students in reading. The other three hours of her day are dedicated to class size support in grades kindergarten, first and sixth.

“What I like about being a paraeducator is I can devote my time actually focusing on students,” Johnston said. “Sunrise is a great staff and they have always treated me as a teacher. I like that they respect what I do here and that they have trust in me to work with groups of students.”

Johnston said she especially enjoys watching as kindgarten-age students progress throughout the school year learning new words.

Terrie Garrison, principal at Sunrise, said Johnston is a “highly valued colleague that is irreplaceable.”

“She believes in all students,” Garrison said. “Her work ethic and commitment to students makes all of us at Sunrise better educators.”

Fraser, a graduate of Rogers High School in 1989, started at Puyallup High School in February 2006 as the library specialist. In October, she began her new job as the bookkeeper for budgets relating to student activities, athletics, clubs and fundraisers.

“As a library specialist, I helped make the library more friendly and open to student learning,” Fraser said. “I started reading the age appropriate books so I could start to help students pick out books. Because of my work in the private sector, I also helped students with resume writing and job interview skills.”

When Frasers’ hours were reduced as a library specialist she decided to start as a bookkeper to gain more full-time work.

“I was touched that I was nominated and that people took time out of their busy schedule to fill out the nominations,” Fraser added.

Fraser, Johnston and Pitts were all recognized through a nomination process in which district staff and community members were invited to submit names for consideration.

Finally, Pitts will complete his 20th year as the campus security officer at Kalles Junior High starting next October. The job is a second career for Pitts who served as a law enforcement specialist in the Air Force for 20 years.

“He is a dedicated professional, honest, highly ethical, and a man of character,” said Kalles Principal Mario Casello. “His clear and consistent message to kids about the expected behaviors in school and during district activities provides a safe environment for all. Karle loves his job and everyone can see it a mile away.”

Pitts is the security guard most often called upon for district-wide security assistance, Casello said. Pitts also serves on the district’s diversity committee.

“He is the hands down the best security guard in the Puyallup School District,” Casello added.

Pitts said he loves working with students at the junior high level.

“Those are the kids I can still shape and mold,” Pitts said. “It’s a good age to work with. Each moment is a teaching moment. I always address the behavior and remind the children it’s not about them personally; it’s about the behavior.”

Reporter Andrew Fickes can be reached at 253-552-7001 or by email at andrew.fickes@puyallupherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @herald_andrew.