The JCPS Difference Maker Award is presented to district staff members and community partners who've gone above and beyond to serve our students, staff members and schools. Difference Makers are individuals, teams or groups who have made (or are making) a difference in our district. Nominate a Difference Maker here!

JCPS will thank all Difference Makers nominated, and some, like those pictured below, will be recognized monthly at the JCPS Board of Education meeting. We love to spotlight Difference Makers that are tied to each of our three organizational pillars: Learning, Partnerships and Stewardship. 

DECEMBER 2017 DIFFERENCE MAKERS

Travis Plume, NCC Counselor

Travis (pictured center with Nichols Career Center Director Sharon Longan and Superintendent Larry Linthacum) was recently recognized as the Career Services Professional of the Year from Missouri ACTE and the Missouri Association for School Counselors Conference. Travis does a fantastic job of supporting both students and educators alike at NCC and his talents have not gone unnoticed by his colleagues around the state.  He is often sought after for consultation from other career center counselors and his work at NCC is often mirrored by them.  NCC is fortunate to have someone of his caliber, vision and leadership.  Student internships, end of course exam scores, student performance reviews and dual enrollment are just a few of the areas at NCC that Travis has tackled as priorities and the results all lead to a better experience for our students.  When it comes to student success, he doesn’t just make the difference, sometimes he IS the difference.

Honoring Veterans through assemblies, fund raising and classroom activities.  Including direct support to: Honor Flight. Disabled American Veterans, Veterans Cemetery Donations

Six+ JCPS schools/groups collectively honored heroes this 2017 Veteran’s Day.  The combined efforts of the following added up to more than $6,500 to aid the efforts of the Central Missouri Honor Flight, to transport local veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices and the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, who empower veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity.  The partners involved in making a difference for our local veterans are:  Lawson Elementary, North Elementary, West Elementary, Nichols Career Center, JCHS STUCO and the JCHS Military Leadership Class.  

JCHS Cafeteria Team

Our HS cafeteria prepares and serves 400 breakfasts, 1500 lunches everyday in a space that requires flexibility and agility on the part of our staff. The job requires them to arrive by 6 a.m.--eat their own lunch when most of us are just hitting our stride (about 10 a.m. ) and of course if you’ve ever wondered who eats supper at 4 p.m. so they can go to bed early-- it’s these folks.  But these hard working folks don’t always end their day in the afternoon.  Our HS cafeteria also caters a variety of sports/activities banquet and supports fundraisers at the HS.  In November, these folks worked their “regular” jobs AND catered both the cross country and volleyball banquets and supported our wrestling teams fundraising efforts.  They support our students no matter what the ask and we want to thank them for being JCPS Difference Makers!

You can see a list of all staff members nominated for a Difference Maker award for the month of December here!

To view Difference Makers from the previous month, click here. Or, you can find an archive of all past honorees on the left side bar/menu of this page.