KINDNESS PAYS!
In an effort to reward kindness and integrity and better familiarize the community with those who work in the school, Troy High and Middle Schools would like to highlight certain staff members monthly for the rest of the school year. The selected staff members will then choose one student they believe personifies the aforementioned traits. Those students’ names will go into a drawing at the end of the year for a gift card.
Our first staff member is Mrs. Courtney Noll. She has been in education for nine years, student teaching at Troy for one year and serving at Doniphan West for eight years. This is her first year working at the Doniphan County Education Cooperative where she serves as a reading specialist for area schools. She enjoys working with students of all ages and preparing high and middle school students for their goals after graduation. She also co-runs a private tutoring company in the evenings.
Her hobbies include going to concerts, walking her dog, and spending time with family. She believes kindness and integrity are important because one never knows what kind of day another person is having. “It takes very little effort to be kind,” she says, “and that might change a person’s day around.” Integrity is important, she adds, because “it shows who you are as a person when no one is looking.”
Eleventh-grader Abe Houghton had this to say about Mrs. Noll’s contributions to his education: “She is a really good teacher, and she helps me stay on task.” When asked to pick one student who demonstrates kindness and integrity, Mrs. Noll had trouble picking only one because “a few students come to mind.” However, when Mrs. Noll had to narrow it down, she said, “when I think of kindness and integrity, I think of John Copeland. He is always kind and respectful. He is honest and hardworking, and he only has good things to say about anyone he interacts with.”
Seventh-grader John Copeland was notified that he had been positively recognized by a staff member, and he replied with this bit of wisdom: “It’s important to be kind to others, but it starts with being kind to yourself.”
Thank you, Mrs. Noll, for all you do in Troy Public Schools, and congratulations to John Copeland for being noted as a student who demonstrates kindness and integrity.
