The Solano County Board of Supervisors will present and adopt a resolution recognizing Benicia Middle School campus supervisor Angie Porter as the county’s Classified School Employee of the Year at today’s meeting.

“The Clasified School Employee of the Year program is designed to highlight the contributions of classified school employees who support the education of our public school students in  pre-kindergarten through grade twelve and to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of outstanding classified school employees,” according to the resolution. “They are vital members who play key roles in creating a school environment that promotes student achievement, safety and health.”

Porter has served as Benicia Middle’s campus supervisor for seven years where she has often been cited as the first person that students see when they arrive in the morning. She supervises students before and after school as well as during lunch and passing periods. She also provides support for teachers in their classrooms. Beyond her role as campus supervisor, she also is a co-facilitator of the student anger management group and a team member of Sources of Strength,  in which students meet in peer groups to foster positivity for students dealing with anxiety or depression; and the school’s Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support program, a framework aimed at creating an educational climate to help all students achieve and learn.

Benicia Middle School Principal Damian Scott said Porter is an invaluable member of Benicia Middle’s staff.

“She really has the pulse of the school down,” he said. “She does things above and beyond her job as campus supervisor, which in some places I’ve worked is just somebody that monitors student behaviors. She’s really about shaping behaviors.”

Scott said that Porter has worked to create a positive culture and climate at BMS where students can come to her to talk. She often will take students on short walks to help them focus.

“She knows all the kids, she greets them every morning and she makes them smile,” Scott said.

In addition to her honor by the county, Porter was also honored as Classified Employee of the Year by the state.

“Teachers, fellow staff, and all students rely on her calm, reassuring manner regardless of the situation,” Tom Torlakson, the State Superintendent of Public Schools, said in a statement back in May. “She always knows what is happening on campus, provides information to administrators and teachers on campus social issues, and always returns a student to class with a more focused and improved attitude if they are sent out for behavioral issues such as conflicts with another student. ”

The resolution also notes that Porter “has built rapport and trust with students, given students respect without judgment, and validated students’ feelings while creating positive social changes for students in distress.”

Additionally, the resolution deems Porter as “the face of Benicia Middle School that represents all that is good in education.”

The resolution will be presented by supervisors Monica Brown and Skip Thomson. A separate resolution will be delivered honoring Golden Hills Education Center adult transition teacher Judith Waelbrock, as the Solano County Educator of the Year.

In other business, the board will confirm the selection of president and vice president for the East Vallejo Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors.

The board will meet at 8:30 a.m. today at the County Administration Center, located at 675 Texas St. in Fairfield.

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