Beaufort County School District names Support Person of Year
A Bluffton High School bilingual liaison was named as the Beaufort County School District’s 2017 “Support Person of the Year.” The selection of Alexa Mencias was announced at a breakfast recognizing schools’ individual honorees.
Support staff can also include social workers, school nurses, bookkeepers, office managers, teacher assistants, school secretaries, and technology and data specialists.
Mencias joined the Beaufort County School District 10 years ago after working in the private sector. At Bluffton High, she serves as a liaison between the school and its Hispanic students and families, dealing with a wide range of student and family issues.
“When you have a job you love, it makes a world of difference,” Mencias said. “I really love connecting with students and connecting with their families.”
Bluffton High School Principal Denise Garison praised Mencias as “someone with a big heart, someone who’s always got a smile on her face.”
“She’s so skilled at bridging language and cultural gaps with our Hispanic families,” Garison said, “and she works hard to help students and their parents understand the value of a high school diploma as a step toward a brighter future.”
Mencias was awarded a $250 gas card from Parker’s, which sponsored the breakfast.
2016-17 school Support Personnel of the Year
▪ Battery Creek High: Christine Whiteleather, job coach
▪ Beaufort Elementary: Cathy Power, nurse
▪ Beaufort High: Julie Gadley, bookkeeper
▪ Beaufort Middle: Sheral Spencer, media assistant
▪ Bluffton Elementary, ECC: Diloris Contreras, bilingual liaison
▪ Bluffton High: Alexa Mencias, bilingual liaison
▪ Bluffton Middle: Catherine Woloszyk, office manager
▪ Broad River Elementary: Denise Drake, nurse
▪ Coosa Elementary: Sandra Gardener, administrative associate
▪ H.E. McCracken Middle: Michael Viskovich, administrative associate
▪ Hilton Head Island ECC: Anne Jacoby, nurse
▪ Hilton Head Island High: Katie O’Sullivan, administrative assistant
▪ Hilton Head Island IB Elementary: Jennifer French, special education assistant
▪ Hilton Head Island Middle: Barbara Perry, administrative assistant
▪ Hilton Head Island SCA: Margaret Borasky, nurse
▪ Islands Academy: Andrea Murray, social worker
▪ Lady’s Island Elementary: Jana Sanders, office manager and bookkeeper
▪ Lady’s Island Middle: Kathleen Bingham, social worker
▪ May River High: Linda Dietz, office manager
▪ Michael C. Riley Elementary: Alia Delong, media assistant
▪ Mossy Oaks Elementary: Webster Ogle, behavior management specialist
▪ Okatie Elementary: Lynn Nagel, administrative assistant
▪ Port Royal Elementary: Elizabeth Bornscheuer, teacher assistant
▪ Pritchardville Elementary: Alicia Baruffi, bilingual liaison
▪ Red Cedar Elementary: Helena Williams, kindergarten assistant
▪ River Ridge Academy: Deborah Wilkerson, media assistant
▪ Robert Smalls International Academy: Toni Burnsed, system support specialist
▪ Joseph S. Shanklin Elementary: Daryl Harris, behavior management specialist
▪ St. Helena Elementary: Denise Simmons, behavior management specialist
▪ Whale Branch Elementary/Davis: Cheryl Morris, media assistant
▪ Whale Branch Early College High: Virginia Henneberry, office manager
▪ Whale Branch Middle: Marion Smalls, behavior interventionist
▪ District Office: Catherine Waskiewicz, technology program manager
▪ Adult Education: Dorothy Gregory, administrative associate
▪ Beaufort-Jasper ACE: Maribel Bueso-Welch, bilingual liaison
This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Beaufort County School District names Support Person of Year."