OGEMAW COUNTY- Sheila Smiley, Technology Implementer Coach at West Branch-Rose City Area Schools, received some well-deserved recognition at the district board of education meeting on September 16. The award was presented by Shawn Petri, Superintendent at COOR Intermediate District, who had worked with her years ago.
A committee of the C.O.O.R. ISD Board of Education chose Smiley as the recipient of the 24th Annual C.O.O.R. ISD Lyle Spalding Award for Leadership in Educational Technology.
Sheila Smiley is entering her 28th year at West Branch-Rose City Area Schools. During her career, she has served as a classroom teacher in 5th grade, Instructional Technology/Computer teacher 5th-8th grades in middle school and high school, test and online software coordinator, and district online coordinator/facilitator. More recently, her role has evolved into the WBRC district Technology Coach. She travels around the district to assist staff Pre-K to 12th grade with day-to-day needs.
“Technology is not something to fear or stress about; it is an ever-updating tool that, in a school, allows us to support staff and students in various ways. Technology can be used to engage students, simplify tasks, and make updates, can usually be fixed, and lets us adapt to a constantly changing world,” stated Sheila Smiley.
It’s clear that Smiley maintains strong relationships with her coworkers and students. “Her unending dedication toward our staff and students, willingness to support others in the district, persistence in solving problems, and ability to learn and share new tech is inspiring. She has a strong core of integrity, intelligence, kindness, selflessness, and service, which is evident in all she does. Her knowledge of Information Technology improves every aspect of the district, and we are fortunate to have her on staff!” stated coworker Stacia Rogers.
