Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Highlights from 2021 RISE Awardee Melito Ramirez’ work include:
- Over his 40-year career, Ramirez has worked for multiple school districts in over a dozen different roles such as migrant home visitor, summer school coordinator, special education secretary, and bus driver.
- Ramirez conducts home visits, bridges the gap between home and school for Spanish speaking families, and works to secure the mental health and technological resources students need.
- Ramirez helped to organize a night school in English and Spanish for adults.
- Ramirez has supported students as they apply for and participate in youth leadership programs, as both a mentor and driver.
- Ramirez is credited with diminishing tensions among rival gang members in the 1990s when gang conflict was high in the Walla Walla area by coordinating supervised evening and weekend activities.