Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods are honoring two school employees who they referred to as “unsung heroes,” – the 2022 Georgia Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award winners. This award recognizes those who provide exemplary service in public education.
This year’s winners are Marissa Ramos-Santana, a Bilingual Parent Liaison for Carrollton City Schools, and Sergeant Jacob Wise, a School Resource Officer for Lumpkin County Schools. The two classified school employees have also been submitted as Georgia’s nominees for the national RISE Award by Governor Kemp.
“I am pleased to recognize these two hardworking Georgians who are dedicating their service to educating and protecting the children of our state,” said Kemp. “Mrs. Ramos-Santana and Sergeant Wise are two of the unsung heroes of Georgia’s K-12 schools, and I appreciate all that they do to impact the students they interact with for the better.”
All schools and districts were invited to submit a nominee for the Georgia RISE Award. Employees must fall in one of the following categories: paraprofessional, clerical and administrative services, transportation services, food and nutrition services, custodial and maintenance services, health and student services, technical services, and skilled trades. The highest-scoring applications are presented to Kemp to make the final selection of two nominees.
Marissa Ramos-Santana is Carrollton City Schools’ district wide Bilingual Parent Liaison. In this role, she meets individually with families of students who are not native English speakers to provide information to help their children transition to the school system. She hosts parent meetings to promote family-school engagement, develops informative newsletters, highlights information on social media, makes home visits, and attends school and community events. She also promotes a Family Resource Center with educational materials and technology available for checkout and works to identify additional available resources within the school and community for families.
Jacob Wise is the lead School Resource Officer (SRO) for Lumpkin County Schools. He oversees five additional SROs and works closely with the local sheriff to train officers and ensure Lumpkin County’s campuses are safe and secure.
Sergeant Wise is also an integral part of the Lumpkin County community and works to build relationships with students. He serves as a mentor to several students across the district, can be found many afternoons and evenings at extracurricular school events and school board meetings, and is one of the last people to leave campus after a home football game.
“Education Support Professionals work every day to support the education of Georgia’s students,” said Woods. “Their work often takes place behind the scenes, which is why it’s such a joy to honor these two outstanding members of our education family, Mrs. Ramos-Santana and Sergeant Wise.”
