SHELBY – There was honor to give, photos to take and smiles about at Monday’s Shelby Board of Education meeting.
The board, along with staff of the city’s schools, honored international students, accepting them for the 2026-27 school year, and acknowledged the academic success of Shelby Middle School students. They also recognized a classified and certified staff member for excellent work.
The international students recognized were Sofia Barrera (Mexico), Aizhan Dosanova (Kyrgyzstan), Elisabeth “Elli” Lewerenz (Germany) and Barbara “Barbie” Martinez Alonso (Spain).
“Thank you for accepting these students into your homes for the year and helping out,” Shelby Supt. Michael Browning said, addressing the host families. “Some of the families I know, and they’re great homes.
“I really appreciate you taking care of the kids while they’re here in America.”
The board then called up Shelby Middle School Principal Corey Ream to recognize the outstanding students of the first nine weeks.
“These are the kids who have separated themselves from that group and have earned their recognition,” Ream said. “They have great attendance. They do their work. They participate in class.
“But really, what I think was the most important to me is that they have a fantastic attitude. Bottom line, they are just good kids.”
The students recognized were sixth graders Rylee Rodenbaugh and Kelly Zetino-Martinez, seventh graders Raelynn Coy and Jaxon Schroeder, and eighth graders Gerard Delarosa-Perrenoud, Josephine McNary and Javier Chavez-Perez.
“They’re the kind of kids who, when you say ‘Hi’ to them in the hall, make eye contact. They ask you how your day is going,” Ream said. “All those little things that go above and beyond the standard academics and the standard expectations of our school.”
The board also recognized members of the middle school’s staff.
“I sat down and kept looking at the list, going, ‘What do you think about this person?’ … ‘What do you think about them?'” Ream said. “It took a lot of discussion, which is fun.”
Ream ultimately decided on Gwen Schwemley, a “veteran teacher” at Shelby Middle School, as he described her.
“Gwen is one of those people who does what she needs to do, doesn’t seek any recognition, doesn’t seek any attention, and does it at one of the highest levels I’ve ever seen,” Ream said.
“The thing that kind of set Gwen apart … is that she has stopped me three or four times in the hallway this year, saying, ‘I really want to try this,’ or ‘What do you think about this?’ or ‘I just heard about this. Where can I get more information on that?’ … to have a veteran teacher with with that much passion, that much enthusiasm, that much energy, I think that deserves a very special recognition.”
Food service staff member Jillian West was also honored. She was the classified staff member, coming from either food service or transportation, who was chosen.
“Jillian came to us in 2019 … she started as a server, had the experience of going through COVID,” Director of Food Service and Transportation Kelly Stanford said. “She worked her way into a cashier role and actually took over the head cook responsibilities.
“She is one of the most intelligent people that I think I’ve ever worked with. She has this thing for numbers … it’s a big job, and she does a fantastic job.”
The next Shelby Board of Education meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 23 at 109 W Smiley Road.
Students and staff honored at the Board of Education meeting, Credit: Logan Adams
