September 28-October 2, 2026
CODE Keeper of the Week for September 28-October 2: McClendon Pre-K Students and Staff
Nomination from Hannah Freeman, McClendon Elementary Staff:
"I would like to nominate the entire Pre-K team and our amazing students for Dedication to Excellence!
We recently went on our very first Pre-K field trip and our students absolutely rocked it! The entire team worked together to prepare our students, support them throughout the trip, and make sure the experience was safe, positive, and memorable.
Our students represented McClendon so well. They were respectful, kind, excited to learn, and followed expectations throughout the entire trip. Their behavior and enthusiasm made us incredibly proud!
The owner of the farm even took the time to compliment our group and shared how impressed she was with our students and staff. She told us what an outstanding group we were and how blessed she felt to have McClendon Pre-K visit her farm. She was so impressed that she told us she wants McClendon Pre-K to have first pick of our field trip dates next year! This was such a special moment for our team."
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Maribel Caro
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
Ms. Caro stepped up and helped our administration team see something they had missed. She loves the campus and wanted to be sure our culture and love stayed strong. We are thankful for her helping us keep McClendon amazing for all staff and students.
McClendon PTO
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Ownership
Why are you nominating this person?
McClendon PTO and parent volunteers made sure our Scholastic Book Fair was a success. They took turns running the register, restocking books and items, helped our braves shop, and setup and closed it all up. They have been such a treasure to our school. Always willing to help out to bring great experiences to our students. We could not have special events like this without the help of our amazing PTO and parent volunteers.
Pamela Simmons
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
Mrs. Simmons has worked extra everyday to help lead our Student Council as they prepared for homecoming parade. With that she joined her team to create a Folklorico team of 5th graders to represent MES at the Hispanic Heritage Celebration. Her drive has helped MES grow our programs and inspire our teachers to create new experiences for our students.
Debanhi Ruelas
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
Mrs. Ruelas joined our team this year and has been an amazing teacher to watch. She worked with Mrs. Simmons to create the 5th grade Folklórico dance team. Together with her team she has helped students share their culture and create amazing memories. We are so excited to have her with MES.
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Peter Zacherl
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Mr. Zacherl went above and beyond to help make our Hispanic Heritage Celebration an incredible experience for our students! He helped lead four different student experiences, each giving our Braves an opportunity to learn, perform, and celebrate Hispanic culture.
From supporting our Kindergarten dancers, to helping students showcase instruments from different Hispanic countries, leading students as they performed traditional music, and building their confidence to speak in front of a large audience, Mr. Zacherl poured his heart into every part of the event.
What made his impact even more special was his commitment to making sure every student who wanted to participate had an opportunity to be included. He encouraged our students, built their confidence, and did it all with a smile.
Jennifer Garza
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
Jennifer Garza played a huge role in making our Hispanic Heritage Celebration such an amazing night! From helping with setup and organizing student volunteers to coordinating the many details needed to bring five schools together for one special celebration, Jennifer was there every step of the way.
She stayed in constant communication with multiple people across campuses, kept everyone organized, and made sure all the pieces came together. Because of her hard work behind the scenes, the evening felt seamless, welcoming, and full of celebration for our students and families.
Events like this take a tremendous amount of planning, teamwork, and attention to detail, and Jennifer helped make it look easy!
Karla Guzman
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
Mrs. Guzman joined MES with a huge smile and a determination to bring her energy to the students. She joined Mrs. Simmons and Ruelas to help create the 5th grade Folklórico. She has been a great addition to our team and we look forward to all the new ideas she brings to our campus to help us continue to grow. (pictures are of our dancers)
Monica Chapeton
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Ms. Chapeton helped her team work with the kindergarten students learn a traditional Columbia dance to represent the many cultures of our community.
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Kelly Fishback
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Ms Fishback joined Mrs Chapeton to help all the kindergarten students learn the dance to share with families. As a former dance teacher she jumped in ready to try some new moves.
Marcia Coker
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
I am working on a project for my school and Mrs. Coker stepped in to answer many questions about facilities and finance. She took time to help me so I can better understand her postion and how she works her budget.
Russ Fenton
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
Russ works hard with his team to keep all our tech working. He was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to answer questions about how he works with his budget to bring all the technology to the district. His responces will help me with my project in class and also helped me learn more about how he works hard to provide the right tech for the district.
Scott Morrison
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
Chief did a great job explaining how the police budget works to keep our schools safe. He took time to answer my questions and add some info that I did not know I needed to ask. He helped me see what elements he is responsible for and how he makes decisions. I appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to help me.
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Baylor Brown
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
While in class Baylor show the CODE as she followed the instructions of the sub and was a role model for others to complete their work. She did a great job showing character when she did not know if others were watching and representing MES as she helped a sub have a great day.
Katy Robinson
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
After a long day at school, Mrs. Robinson was walking out and a family was looking for an event. Katy took time to call someone so she could make sure that the family made it to the event they were looking for. She chose to help others and that is her character shining through!
CISD Football Team and Coaches
Nominator
Melanie Edwards
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
McClendon is blessed every Thursday with coaches and football players joining us each Thursday to help open doors. They give high fives, greet parents and students, and spend 30 minutes in the morning going above and beyond. They have been so fun to watch each week and our kids live seeing the "famous football players" at their school! Thank you to the coaches for organizing the morning and the players for getting up early to help out!
JT Little
Nominator
Kayla Speed
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Ownership
Why are you nominating this person?
JT was setting a wonderful example during stations and taking ownership of his work.
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Kristina Shugarman
Nominator
Rachel Zahradnik
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Ms. Shugarman truly goes above and beyond when it comes to communicating with her kindergarten families! She is an exceptional communicator who consistently keeps parents informed, involved, and connected to what is happening in the classroom. Her communication is always clear, thoughtful, and focused on helping every student grow and succeed.
She sets high expectations for her students and encourages them each day to strive for excellence. As parents, we greatly appreciate the meaningful feedback she provides—not only celebrating our students’ successes, but also clearly communicating areas where they can continue to grow. Her partnership with families plays such an important role in helping our students become the very best versions of themselves.
Ms. Shugarman is truly crystal clear in her communication and consistently demonstrates the values of the Community Code. We are so thankful for the excellence, dedication, and care she brings to her students and families every single day!
Christy Manzanares
Nominator
Shannon McMahan
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
I am nominating Mrs. Manny for her committment to excellence in everything she does. Whether she is greeting students during morning bus duty in all kinds of weather, supporting them in the classroom, making sure the flags are flying, or organizing materials for a substitute teacher, she does it all with a smile. Her positivity and dedication to excellence make Edge a better place for students and staff every day!
Erica Ramos
Nominator
Shannon McMahan
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Ownership
Why are you nominating this person?
Mrs. Salgado & Mrs. Ramos demonstrated ownership by creating a fun and engaging learning experience for our emerging bilingual students. They created the Fun Fair, a state fair themed learning experience to help our students build their language skills. The day featured fair themed decorations, learning activities, games, and prizes. A big thank you to Mrs. Salgado and Mrs. Ramos for taking ownership in going above and beyond to provide support for our students at Edge!
Megan Salgado
Nominator
Shannon McMahan
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Ownership
Why are you nominating this person?
Mrs. Salgado & Mrs. Ramos demonstrated ownership by creating a fun and engaging learning experience for our emerging bilingual students. They created the Fun Fair, a state fair themed learning experience to help our students build their language skills. The day featured fair themed decorations, learning activities, games, and prizes. A big thank you to Mrs. Salgado and Mrs. Ramos for taking ownership in going above and beyond to provide support for our students at Edge!
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
Megan Salgado
Nominator
Erica Ramos
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Megan Salgado went above and beyond to bring language learning to life through a fun and engaging TELPAS Fair at EMS this week! At the “Edge State Fair,” students played ring toss to receive TELPAS challenges and created their own fair brochures—all while building their language skills. Her creativity and commitment to making learning meaningful make her an outstanding nominee for Excellence CODE Keeper of the Week!
Steven Guinn
Nominator
Bailey Dixon
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
Officer Guinn has been a wonderful addition to MES. This week, he removed a small snake from our property, but not before giving our students the opportunity to see it (from a safe distance, of course!) He took the time to teach them about animal safety, and they loved hearing him explain what kind of snake it was and learning more about it. It was a memorable learning experience for our students. Thank you, Officer Guinn, for keeping McClendon safe and for taking the time to make every experience a learning opportunity for our students!
Ashley Brouse
Nominator
Merritt Mueller
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
Ms. Brouse is an exceptional teacher, coach, and co-worker. She consistently strives for excellence and goes above and beyond in everything she does. Her dedication, positive attitude, and commitment to her students and colleagues are truly admirable. It is a genuine blessing to work alongside Coach Brouse.
Anaria "AJ" Johnson
Nominator
Christi McClain
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Drive
Why are you nominating this person?
This evening, I was volunteering for concessions during the middle school Lady Braves volleyball/high school football games and had arrived early in order to get set up. AJ was there ready to get to work! She had cookies baking, hot dogs rolling, and pretzels warming up in no time. She was stocking cold drinks and hustling! I wanted to give a shout out to AJ for her servant heart and go-getter, positive attitude! Thank you for helping feed our athletes, parents, fans, students, staff and opponents! Your support did not go unnoticed tonight and was so appreciated!
Other Compliments Submitted This Week
CHS Floral Design Class & Lillie Lloyd
Nominator
Renee Robertson
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Excellence
Why are you nominating this person?
I attended a memorial service for a friend of mine mom last Friday. Miss Lloyd and her floral design class did an EXCELLENT job with a beautiful table arrangement. I was very impressed with the excellence of the floral arrangement. Way to go!
Stacy Childers
Nominator
Alicia Guerin
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Character
Why are you nominating this person?
I put Miss Childers down for character, but really she is all of the above. Mrs Childers is one of the very few people who will drop everything to make sure you’re OK. She is loving. She’s caring and she is overall wonderful. If I’m having a hard day, she’s always there to lift me up and put my mind in the right. Space. Mrs. Childers has helped so many people and will continue to help people every single day. Seeing her every day at school has been great and has helped more people then she knows!
Brad Bresnehen and Robert Williams
Nominator
Cooper Welch
Which Pillar was this person exhibiting?
Ownership
Why are you nominating this person?
Last week I accidentally left a piece of equipment on the gym floor at the CISD Athletic Complex. When I came back looking for, it was no longer in the spot I had left it.
Unbeknownst to me, Coach Bresnehen had seen the equipment, picked it up, and placed it in his office for safekeeping until whomever owned the equipment showed up looking for it. His quick thinking protected a very valuable piece of equipment from potentially being damaged or misplaced.
Coach Williams then assisted Coach Sharr and me in finding the equipment, showing us exactly where it had been placed.
I appreciate these two coaches for going out of their way to make sure a District investment was protected!