September 4, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
For the first time this fall, DCHS has recognized an outstanding teacher (staff member), student, and parent/guardian of the month. The Excellence for DCHS awards program was started last school year (2021-22) as a monthly event and has become a popular observance.
The first award recipients, for the month of August, were honored Friday morning.
Each received a certificate from the school and a gift card for a meal from Kilgore’s restaurant. A different restaurant will be offering a meal gift card to each month’s honorees.
Family liaison and translator Rebecca Parker was selected as Staff Member of the Month while Freshman Valya Hennessee, daughter of Brad and Renee Hennessee, is Student of the Month, voted on by the teachers. The Parent/Guardian of the Month is Rachel Seal, mother of DCHS Senior Kiley Martin.
“I’m excited,” Valya said upon receiving her Student of the Month Award. Hennessee is a member of FFA and her future plans are to become a photographer.
“Valya had a teacher nominate her, then all the teachers voted for her to be the award winner. She has excellence in everything she is doing. She goes above and beyond in the classroom. She’s always a super help with her teachers and other students in the school, and we couldn’t be more proud to have her as our August Student of the Month,” said Assistant DCHS Principal Thomas Cagle.
Parker, Staff Member of the Month, is employed for the DeKalb County School District as a Spanish translator and family liaison working with families. She has worked in the district for 10 years, and travels to all the schools. Parker said she was born in Uruguay to her missionary parents and moved to DeKalb County 12 years ago to care for her parents and in-laws.
“I feel so excited,” Parker said. “I’m just honored”
“I don’t have enough words to tell what Mrs. Parker means to our school,” said Cagle. “She does so much as far as translating and helping our Hispanic population and working with us to help make sure that population of students are getting all their needs met that we can possibly provide. She does such a wonderful job and has such a loving and caring heart for all of these students. She is what we strive to be as a faculty and a school.”
Mrs. Seal received the Parent/Guardian of the Month honor after a winning essay by her daughter, Kiley Martin.
“The essays let us know the many ways a parent or guardian impacts our students’ lives, and the things they do to support them outside of school,” said Assistant Principal Cagle. “Martin’s essay was one that I thought, not only in structure and how she wrote it, but the many different ways she mentions how her mom helps her try to achieve the goals that she’s reaching for. I thought her essay was written really well. Mrs. (Jenny) Norris helped me read the essays and she agreed that Kiley’s essay should be the one chosen this month,” added Cagle.
Kiley said the essay is an expression of how deeply she feels about her mother.
“I wrote about the many ways she has helped me through my life and through my journey in school,” Martin explained. “It is just about how she has been an influence and impact in my life. She has given me some of the best advice, and she is just so strong in her faith. She prays for me every day and it’s just a big influence.”
Martin is a senior at DCHS and is a member of the Service Society Club and FCA, and her mother said she is very proud of her. “The privilege and honor are all mine,” Seal said tearfully. “God blessed me with such wonderful kids and it’s an honor that He allowed me that privilege.”
“The purpose of our Excellence for DCHS awards is to point out the things that we may not see every day that our students, our parents and guardians, and our staff are doing here at DCHS. We want to hand these awards out once a month and recognize the efforts of the different people who are affecting the school in many different ways. It takes many hands to do what is needed at our school,” said Assistant Principal Cagle.