Every year, Cherry Creek School District nominates and awards certain outstanding classified employees with the All Star Award, a celebration of the most influential and dedicated classified employees in the district. Eaglecrest’s very own Cheryl Starr is one of the 27 winners out of 267 nominations in 2018 and has been invited to a dinner in her honor on February 28th, 2019.

The Cherry Creek All Star Award is reserved for only the most outstanding classified employees–the support staff working along with teachers and administrators to keep the educational process structured and organized. They are the bookkeepers, bus drivers, payroll specialists, and para educators among a multitude of other essential staff that make teaching possible in the modern age. The daily function of each and every school is only made plausible through the assistance of these employees.

Nominees for the All Star Award are selected by their colleagues and supervisors for their superior performance as support systems for students, teachers, and administrators alike. In February, the district presents a celebratory dinner, filled with prizes and recognition for the winners of the award. Honorees at the dinner will receive a Cherry Creek All Star thermal bag with personal congratulations written and drawn by friends, co-workers, and students that have appreciated their contributions in the workplace. Christy Everson at ESC Communication Services will be submitting all the cards, letters, and pictures sent in on February 22nd.

Cheryl Starr, an assistant counselor at EHS, has graciously accepted this award, which came unexpectedly to her.

“It was a total surprise…I had no idea I was nominated, let alone won.” Starr explained.

Cheryl Starr has been working in the educational field for somewhat of a short time, and she has already managed to make a lasting impact within Cherry Creek School District.

“I’ve been working [at Eaglecrest] since July of 2017, so almost two years. It was very much a surprise when I found out.”

Winning a district award after working for only two years in the district would seem like a surprise to many, but it shouldn’t be any surprise that Cheryl Starr made the cut. Her job entails an extensive list of duties that are essential to the proper functioning of the Counseling department–arguably one of the most important student resources in modern education. There is a lot of pressure on Starr’s shoulders, but she has definitely proven to be more than capable of performing above and beyond in her work.

“I am responsible for supporting all ten of our counselors, so I set their calendars, try to keep their time so they can get their stuff done, greet all the students when they come in to talk to their counselors, answer the phone for the department, talk to the parents or outside people that call or may come to visit [as well as] any colleges when they call, and I supervise the student assistants that we have. I just try to help things run smoothly around here.”

The daunting list of tasks that Cheryl Starr consistently manages is no distraction from her love of the environment that she is able to work in at EHS.

“Oh my gosh this is a really fun team to work with. I’m really lucky to have such a team–they like each other and get along.”

Starr is also very enthusiastic about the upcoming All Star dinner.

“It will be time for me to get out, go to a fancy dinner and dress up, and it will be good to meet and talk to people who work at other schools because, eventually they are going to have students [potentially] come [to Eaglecrest], so I’m looking forward to meeting other people in the district.”

Starr has taken her All Star victory and recognition as a sign to relentlessly commit to the EHS community.

“I’ve told everyone in this department that I’m never leaving, so I think that’s kind of cemented. I mean I liked this job right off the bat. I love this type of work. Helping people and organizing [them]; that’s kinda my thing. I’m meant to do this and they are gonna have to fight to get rid of me, because I love working here.”

I think it’s safe to say that for any student in need of counseling help at EHS, Cheryl Starr is the first person you want to talk to. EHS is proud to have such a committed staff member representing our counseling department on a district-wide level. Hopefully the future of Cheryl Starr at Eaglecrest holds many more opportunities to showcase her skills.