Renton School Board recently honored four teachers and staff members as this year’s Outstanding Employees. The annual Outstanding Employee Awards recognize staff who demonstrate an extraordinary level of job performance, dynamic support for students, professionalism and dedication.

Nearly 30 district staff members were nominated for this year’s awards. The four winners were chosen by a selection committee made up of school board members and last year’s award winners.

• Outstanding Elementary Teacher

Lynn Mizokawa, fourth-grade teacher at Cascade Elementary School

Mizokawa has worked in the Renton School District for more than 20 years. Before moving to Cascade she worked at Campbell Hill Elementary School.

Mizokawa is known by her colleagues as the person to go to for advice, ideas and support. She also works extensively with students and families outside of her classroom by hosting WASL parent information nights and the Boeing Mathematics after-school program. She volunteers at nearly every PTA after-school event.

Mizokawa has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Hawaii and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.

• Outstanding Secondary Teacher

Dr. Paul Muckerheide, math teacher at Hazen High School

Muckerheide has worked in the Renton School District since 2000. He has also worked at Kennedy High School in Burien and at Holy Rosary School and St. Paul Catholic School, both in Seattle. Muckerheide also taught math at Illinois State University and calculus at Cascadia Community College in Bothell and at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.

Muckerheide has a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., a master’s in sport coaching from the United States Sports Academy and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Illinois State University.

Muckerheide is known as a teacher who sets high standards for his students and holds them personally accountable for their learning. He has a tireless dedication to his students, colleagues and his profession.

Muckerheide creatively approaches teaching and combines his degrees in mathematics and sports coaching by constructing new projects such as a statistics program in which he took 100 students bowling then had them create graphs and plot data using the mean, median and mode of their bowling scores. Muckerheide also started a program in which students struggling in algebra produced distance-time graphs of the 20-mile bike rides they took each Saturday.

• Outstanding Building Support Person

Susan Bucher, staff specialist in special-education at Lakeridge Elementary School

Bucher has worked in the district for several years at both Lakeridge and Renton Park elementary schools.

She has a degree in elementary education and English from Western Michigan University.

Bucher left the district in 2001 to teach elementary students at Cedar River Montessori School in Renton. She returned to Lakeridge in 2006, and considers the school her home. Bucher’s philosophy is that kids will only be able to learn academically if they’ve learned socially and have a peaceful heart and a calm body.

Many Lakeridge students refer to Bucher as “mom” because of her caring demeanor and attention to their needs. Bucher, in return, says she’s lucky to have so many “children.”

• Outstanding District Support Person

Lee Cummings, assessment coordinator, Renton School District

Cummings has worked in the district for 15 years. Before becoming the district’s coordinator for tests and assessments, she was a playground supervisor at Renton Park Elementary and a special-education specialist to a registrar at Lindbergh High.

She has an accounting degree from Central Washington University.

Cummings is known throughout the district as the “go-to” person for all things related to testing. Her knowledge of the legal requirements in administering the WASL helps the district stay in compliance with state and federal guidelines. Cummings can quickly customize reports that align a student’s WASL scores with grades and attendance to help school staff fully understand each student’s achievement.

Cummings volunteered this year to standardize student learning plans required for every student who does not pass specific sections of the WASL.