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Monday, April 06, 2009

FCPS Names Janet Cameron, Sher Nasir Support Employees of the Year

Janet Cameron, public health training assistant at Kilmer Center, and Sher Nasir, database engineer at Wilton Woods Center, have been named Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 2009 Support Employees of the Year. The announcement was made by FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale.

Cameron, an FCPS employee since 1984, was named the school-based Support Employee of the Year. After serving as a bus driver for 14 years, Cameron became a public health assistant then moved into her current position nine years ago.

“Janet Cameron has dedicated the last nine plus years of her life helping the children of Kilmer Center to achieve greater levels of independence and integration into the community,” says Kilmer Center teacher Kelly Taeschner. “Teachers regularly ask for Janet’s advice concerning behavioral plans and ideas, classroom logistics, and assistance during behavioral crises.”

Kilmer Center principal Michael Marsallo says, “In school, Janet is an integral part of our behavioral management team that responds to emergencies that may occur when a student gets upset and physically aggressive. She is quick to respond to help with students in neighboring classrooms and knows how to react so that an incident does not escalate and endanger staff members.” He adds that Cameron is a frequently requested respite caregiver, caring for Kilmer students when their families need overnight child care or help during a family emergency.

“She exhibits unflagging enthusiasm and commitment toward her students, unparalleled leadership and camaraderie with other staff members, and a unique talent for encouraging the most behaviorally challenging students in the county to demonstrate their very best work,” says former Kilmer Center teacher Abigail Miklos.

Parent Lisa Kettell says, “Ms. Cameron may hold the title of public health training assistant, but speaking as a parent of a child with a disability, she’s a natural teacher when working with all of her students.”

Cameron, an alumna of Chantilly High School, is certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), takes annual medical procedural training, and successfully completed FCPS’ Pathways to Excellence program.

Nasir, an FCPS employee since 2000, was named the nonschool-based Support Employee of the Year. “Sher’s efforts are not visible to the majority of the FCPS community, but they have tremendous impact on those who use FCPS applications,” say project managers for FCPS, Northrop Grumman, and Blackboard, Inc. “His expertise in the architecture, configuration, and operation of Oracle software databases is exceptional. Since many of the mission-critical applications used by FCPS reside on Oracle systems, Sher’s support is invaluable. The depth of his technical knowledge is unique in FCPS and rare in the IT (information technology) business community.”

“FCPS is a K-12 district that requires technology solutions on a Fortune 500 corporate scale,” says Sandy Kretzer, coordinator of technology planning and assessment. “Sher has been involved in virtually all implementations, upgrades, and replacements of systems that gather, store, report, publish, analyze, or transport information. Sher has been a leader in the necessary modifications of systems that don’t meet our needs and in the design and development of our own systems when a solution does not exist or cannot meet our requirements.”

Data services coordinator Gary Policastro says that Nasir is constantly investigating and learning about new technologies. “He will research technology topics of interest to the organization and provide valuable results or recommendations without being asked. …He is considered our best technology troubleshooter, regardless of the product or concept in question. He is our ‘go-to’ guy to keep technology systems and processes running smoothly in FCPS.”

When FCPS learned of the student data breach by the Princeton Review last year, Nasir proposed a secure transfer method for Princeton Review to use to send the compromised data to FCPS. Nasir tested the method, then instructed the vendor in how to use it. At the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, FCPS 24-7 Learning was unable to meet the high demand of teachers and students logging on in record numbers. Nasir worked with the team from Blackboard, Inc., which hosts 24-7, to diagnose the problem and help develop a permanent solution.

“FCPS relies on data systems covering every function of the school system, from transportation to payroll to libraries and instruction,” says Ted Davis, director of enterprise information services. “As a database engineer, Sher is responsible for designing and managing the critical database systems that the school system depends on every day.”

Nasir earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and his master’s degree in software systems engineering from George Mason University. He has received multiple recognition awards from FCPS.

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Note: For more information, contact Janet Cameron at janet.cameron@fcps.edu or Sher Nasir at sher.nasir@fcps.edu.