GGUSD Employee Named Orange County Finalist for Classified Employee of the Year

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Garden Grove Unified School District employee Rosie Tamayo, who serves as the Food Services Lead at Violette Elementary School, was named an Orange County Finalist for the Orange County Department of Education’s 2021 Classified Employee of the Year program. A GGUSD employee for 27 years, Tamayo is one of only 9 classified school employees across the county to receive this prestigious recognition.

“Rosie is more than a lunch lady; she is an unsung hero with a big heart and is 100% dedicated to the families and students she serves,” said Agnes Lally, Director of Food Services. “Rosie knows all of the students by name and goes out of her way to make each child feel special. She is well-respected by staff who admire her kindness, humble nature and ability to get things done.”

Orange County Department of Education will honor its nine honorees during Classified School Employees Weeks Mary 17-21, 2021. The nine county finalists are also eligible for the California Department of Education Classified Employee of the Year program as well as the new U.S. Department of Education Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) program created in 2020.

Each year, GGUSD submits six Classified Employees in each nomination category for the OCDE Classified Employee of the Year program. GGUSD’s 2021 nominees include:

Child Nutrition: Rosie Tamayo, Food Services Lead
Maintenance, Operations and Facilities: Pedro Levario, Lead Groundskeeper
Office and Technical: Dane Yagi, Senior Programmer
Para-Educator and Instructional Assistance: Theresa Jones,
Support Services and Security: Veronica Jaimes, School Community Liaison
Transportation: Louie Orozco, Bus Driver

“We are proud of all of our Classified Employee of the Year nominees for their exceptional work ethic and commitment to serving students,” said Bob Harden, Board of Education Trustee. “It is employees like these that make our district special.”

GGUSD will honor its Classified Employees of the Year at Board of Education meeting in the fall.