Josiah Hanson earns Perrysburg Schools Shining Star Award

Congratulations to Josiah Hanson who was named Perrysburg Schools’ Spring 2019 Shining Star Award Recipient at the May Board of Education Meeting. He is a Paraprofessional at Perrysburg Jr. High School. The award is presented twice annually to an employee who is nominated by his/her colleagues as a Shining Star of our school district. A panel representing a cross-section of the district chooses the award recipient from a pool of nominees. The Griffioen Insurance Agency also recognized him with a gift certificate.

Following are some of his nominations:

Josiah is a paraprofessional at the Junior High who is always willing to work with a variety of students without hesitation. His willingness to assist, tutor, discipline, intervene and be a role model do not go unnoticed. He is a huge asset in the classroom, to our building and our staff. :-)
Nominated by Jenni Drake, Jr. High

Honestly there is not a single example I can use to describe Josiah's willingness to help out fellow teachers, paraprofessionals and students. Josiah is always willing to do whatever is needed to help out in any situation. He is amazing with our Junior High students! The way he works with our students to get them to learn to their greatest potential is awesome to watch. He is a very positive person in our building and is a great asset. He is a very deserving person for this award.
Nominated by Amber Schutt, Jr. High

Josiah is a paraprofessional at Perrysburg Junior High. Josiah works with our Jacket Way Support Program. This program provides social and academic support to students who have significant emotional and behavioral challenges within the school environment. He is always very patient, caring and kind to not only to students he is assigned to, but all of the students in the building. Josiah always has a smile on his face and never complains about the challenges of his daily responsibilities. Josiah is willing to help in any way that he can at the Junior High. He participated in the dodgeball tournament during the spirit assembly and after school. I recently witnessed a student ask Josiah to sit with him on the bus on the way to our 8th grade Penta trip. Josiah's response was: “pick us out a good seat!” This is a student who has not been able to establish many positive relationships within the building. Josiah has such a great rapport with the students he supports and you can tell they know that he cares about them. Josiah is definitely a shining star at Perrysburg Junior High and is so passionate about helping students who need it the most.
Nominated by Ashley Mundrick, Jr. High

Josiah spends his days working diligently to support students with significant emotional needs. Whether addressing work refusal or acting out behaviors that can disrupt classroom instruction, Josiah is able to establish a relationship with students and, in turn, earn their respect and trust. This rapport has been leveraged to help students find academic and social success in the classroom. During major moments of disruptions or defiance Josiah is patient and he can address the student and get him/her to succeed. Sometimes it is like he has a magic wand. Though he may be frustrated at times, never once has his demeanor revealed it. Josiah is creative with the ways that he gets students to work, and he does an excellent job relating the material to their lives. He is always willing to lend a helping hand to any teacher in need, and he has never objected or made our requests feel like an inconvenience. PJHS is incredibly lucky to have Josiah in our building and he could not be more deserving of this award!
Nominated by Jennifer Scharer, Jr. High

Josiah has multiple instances where he has ensured that students achieved their greatest potential. He does this for students on a daily basis. One specific instance, out of many, was when he was called to our room to help with a student who was escalated. Josiah calmly came into the room, spoke to the student and then took them out of the classroom to speak to them in the hallway. We were so relieved to see Josiah and to have him help us because we were very concerned for the student. Josiah came back with the student after helping him de-escalate and the student was able to come back to class and have a great rest of the day. Josiah has many instances in our class alone where he has de-escalated students and then brought them back in to class, so that they were able to learn and get the instruction they needed. He is a shining example of a person who ensures that all students achieve their greatest potential.
Nominated by Natasha Ingersoll, Jr. High

Josiah regularly takes on our students with significant challenges, quickly builds rapport with them and helps them to engage in the learning environment. He is the definition of a team player, always willing to help out whenever and wherever he can. His support for classroom teachers is unparalleled, and he takes the initiative to reinforce concepts and promote student learning. Further, Josiah has the ability to maintain a calm demeanor in even the most tense situations with escalated students. Josiah is such an asset to the Junior High, and we would truly be lost without him.
Nominated by Kelly Simenson, Jr. High

Josiah is a key member of our daily routine here at PJHS. He is reliable, friendly and has a great sense of humor in his approach. Josiah works with students who’ve struggled to find academic and social success, but his approach is one of caring and sincere interest in seeing students succeed. Further, Josiah is quick to step-in when called upon in any situation and often will answer with “Anything you need” or “Not a problem.” We are lucky to have Josiah and he is most deserving of recognition.
Nominated by Marjoe Cooper, Jr. High

Josiah provides support to students who have been hard to reach with traditional approaches. He is able to motivate and connect with students in a positive way by his straightforward, down-to-earth approach.

Josiah has provided our students a positive and caring role model and safety and dignity within the school setting. He has made it a point to attend events that students are involved in outside of school and also participates in after school activities with students (ex. dodgeball tournament). I cannot think of a better person that represents The Shining Star than Josiah Hanson!
Nominated by Don Christie, Jr. High

Great rapport with students and staff, hard working, positive, great with all students!
Nominated by Meghan Yarnell, Jr. High

Although I have not worked directly with Josiah this year, he does a phenomenal job with our students and works hard helping them reach their greatest potential. He is extremely patient with students and helps them complete their work. You can tell he has good rapport with them, because sometimes students will work as soon as he is present. He participates in after school activities, such as the dodgeball tournament which has had significant impact on all students.
Nominated by Jamie Avery, Jr. High

I am new to the PJHS this year and it is the first time I have been fortunate to work with Josiah Hanson. Josiah keeps a very calm, cool demeanor when working with students. He shows respect to all and holds high expectations for them. He is consistently able to separate the student from the behavior the student is exhibiting. I have heard him say to a student : “Being respectful is something you can do. It’s the easy one!” when encouraging a student who struggles to comply with any work tasks or verbal instructions. Oftentimes this student can be heard saying “please” and “thank you” and “yes, sir.” Josiah is also an encourager to staff. He knows the difficulty of having behavior challenges within a class of 25+ students and he offers a kind compliment and encouraging word when the day has been rough. We are blessed at the Junior High to have Josiah as a staff member supporting students.

In addition to being liked by staff at the Junior High, the kids LOVE him. He has participated in the school-wide volleyball and dodgeball tournaments. This past tournament he donned a pink shirt and pink headband to represent his team. He currently coaches soccer for another district. You can tell that Josiah has a heart for kids!
I strongly support recognizing Josiah Hanson for the Shining Star Award.
Nominated by Anne Matolyak, Jr. High

Josiah arrives at the Junior High and does whatever works needs to be done for the day, and he does it with a smile! He has a great attitude and seems to be in a good mood everyday even when he has to address significant challenges that may arise.
Nominated by Ben Marshall, Jr. High

Josiah is a para professional at the Junior High and works with students who have social obstacles. He has been able to make connections with students who often don’t trust others or who have dealt with difficulties in their lives. Josiah always has a smile on his face, a kind word and is an encouragement to those around him. We are blessed to have such an employee working with our students and teachers. He is willing to help any teacher out and assist to provide a positive experience. I believe many of us are better people just for knowing and working with Josiah each day. He is a BRIGHT Shining Star for our students and staff and is most deserving of this award.
Nominated by Kelley Treece, Jr. High