It was a special evening for the Folsom Cordova Unified School (FCUSD) Thursday as hundreds of it employees came together at Hagen Park in Rancho Cordova in Rancho Cordova for the annual FCUSD Employee Recognition event. Throughout the evening, members of the district staff were celebrated for their many successes over the soon to be complete school year. The event offered recognitions not only a the district level but those of the state regional level as well.

The picnic style event began with Folsom Cordova Superintendent Dr. Sarah Koligian delivering  remarks at what will be her final annual recognition event as she retires this year and recently named Superintendent Erik Swanson takes over her role, who was also in attendance of Thursday’s event.In addition to addressing those in attendance, Koligian was also honored herself at the event for recently being named an Exemplary Woman in Education by the Association of California School Administrators Region 3. Koligian was one of several FCUSD staff members receiving honors by the ACSA this year. 

Additional ACSA Region 3 honors recognized. Amongst the honorees was Terry Daniels, Ed.D, who is the Principal of Folsom Middle School. Daniels was recently named the ACSA Region 3 Middle Grades Principle of the Year.  Daniels was joined in celebration by Vickie Boudouris, who was awarded the Elementary Principal Silver Star of the year. Boudouris si the Principal of Natoma Station Middle School ACSA Region 3 Administrator of the Year awards went to Sean Martin, FCUSD Asst. Superintendent of Business Services and  Don Ogden, Assoc. Superintendent of Human Resources.

At the District level, dedicated FCUSD employees honored this year included retirees and individuals marking significant milestones of 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service to the district. Additionally, the District’s Employees of the Year were celebrated.

The FCUSD Teacher of the Year for 2024 was Elizabeth Isaacs of Oak Chan Elementary School. Isaacs was joined by the following staff members who were named district employees of the year:Janet McCarthy, Clerical & Administrative Services; Jeannie Greenebaum, Food & Nutrition Services; Leonora (Leo) Torrez, Security Services; Maria Isabel Diego, Transportation Services; Paige Wise, Health Services; Samuel Portilla, Technical Services; Scott Gontjes, Custodial & Maintenance Service; Svetlana Gerasenkova, Paraprofessional Services and Tim Ortiz, Skilled Trade Services. 

Let’s give a resounding round of applause to the outstanding FCUSD teachers and support staff as we prepare to conclude another remarkable school year. Thank you to the countless dedicated FCUSD employees whose steadfast dedication profoundly impacts the lives of our students, schools, and communities every single day,” the FCUSD said in a statement announcing the many awards and accolades. “A heartfelt thank you goes out to our event sponsor, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. Your commitment to supporting our schools, students, and staff is deeply appreciated and truly valued.”

The 2024 school year will come to a close next week for the FCUSD with graduation ceremonies taking place on their respective evening. This year, Folsom Times and All Town Media LLC will carry livestreams of each of the high school ceremonies for Cordova, Vista del Lago and Folsom High Schools. Watch for additional information and articles on this at www.folsomtimes.com.