{"id":23520,"date":"2025-02-15T20:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T03:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/montezuma-cortez-high-school-honors-staff-of-the-quarter\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:37:36","slug":"montezuma-cortez-high-school-honors-staff-of-the-quarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/montezuma-cortez-high-school-honors-staff-of-the-quarter\/","title":{"rendered":"Montezuma-Cortez High School honors staff of the quarter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The
The Montezuma-Cortez School District is hosting a family night in April. (Journal file photo)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Montezuma-Cortez High School honored six staff members for the previous quarter, highlighting what they bring to the school and the impact they have on students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud to recognize the remarkable contributions and the professionalism and commitment that each of these people bring to our students and community,\u201d the school said.<\/p>\n

\"Melissa
Melissa Harris<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Melissa<\/strong> Harris: English teacher<\/strong><\/div>\n

Harris joined MCHS\u2019s English department this school year and has \u201cquickly become an invaluable asset.\u201d She works as the department head, something she has \u201cembraced,\u201d and is part of the leadership team. She also attends student events and activities and \u201cmaintains a consistently positive attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer dedication and hard work in supporting both students and staff at M-CHS are commendable,\u201d the school said. \u201cWe are incredibly grateful to have her as part of our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Teresa
Teresa Carlson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Teresa<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Carlson:<\/strong> <\/p>\n

paraprofessional<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carlson has been part of the district for 13 years and was described as one of the \u201cmost trusted and dependable employees.\u201d The school added that she comes in early on Friday PD days to make coffee for all the staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe plays a crucial role in nearly every student event, has successfully helped organize our entire special education program\/department, and provides daily support to our students in their classes,\u201d the school said. \u201cWe truly couldn\u2019t manage without her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jami
Jami Tunick<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jami<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Tunick: <\/strong>ESS<\/strong> <\/p>\n

department<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tunick began working at MCHS in the ESS department last year before becoming a long-term substitute for the school\u2019s life skills class. She is now a life skills paraprofessional.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe demonstrates relentless dedication and commitment to supporting our most in-need population,\u201d the school said. \u201cJami\u2019s hard work is evident every day, and her heart of gold shines through as she invests every moment in helping students gain enriching life experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kristy
Kristy Charles<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Kristy Charles: ninth<\/strong> and<\/strong> 10th<\/strong> grade<\/strong> counselor<\/strong><\/div>\n

Charles is a ninth and 10th grade counselor who \u201cworks tirelessly to support our students\u2019s social and emotional needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school shared that Charles regularly meets with students and their families to \u201cguide them on the right path in their educational pursuits\u201d while helping with conflict resolution, communicating with students and families and helping provide tutoring, supervision and addressing other matters in the high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a valuable asset to MCHS,\u201d the district said.<\/p>\n

\"Wilfred
Wilfred Cabauatan.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Wilfred<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Cabauatan: ESS<\/strong> <\/p>\n

teacher<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cabauatan joined the ESS department this year as a teacher after moving from the Philippines to the U.S. with his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the challenges of adjusting to life in the United States, Mr. Wilfred has been a joy to work with. He brings a positive energy and enthusiasm to all his endeavors,\u201d the school said. \u201cEven in the face of difficulties, he remains unwavering in his commitment to providing excellent support for our schools and students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elvina<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Young: Indigenous<\/strong> <\/p>\n

student<\/strong> <\/p>\n

success<\/strong> <\/p>\n

coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the Indigenous student success coordinator, Young works closely with the school\u2019s Indigenous students, their families and staff to \u201csupport and uplift her community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Young is also involved in student events, tutoring, clubs and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cElvina is a true asset to have in our school,\u201d the school said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

members were featured and honored <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[21,155,60,36,216],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-23520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cortez","tag-education","tag-montezuma-county","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school","tag-montezuma-cortez-school-district-re-1"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23520"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78159,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23520\/revisions\/78159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23520"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=23520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}