Hearing commotion outside her 7th grade class, Debra Carcamo, ESOL teacher at Crestview Middle School, didn’t expect her room to fill with her principals, the ROSE committee, a group of her 6th graders students, and her family.
To Carcamo’s surprise, she had been chosen as a 2024 ROSE Award recipient. She said it was especially surprising since education specialists tend to receive less recognition than core classroom teachers due to having a limited reach in the study body.
“The moment I received the notice that I would be getting the award was extremely special. At that moment, I felt great pride and gratitude that someone had recognized my hard work,” Carcamo said.
The ROSE Award is the district’s most prestigious award, given out to 15 individuals per year who volunteer for or work in RSD. Nominations are accepted from students, staff and parents through Friday, Jan. 24, with past recipients being ineligible for nominations.
Students, staff, and parents in the district may submit nominations for any individual that volunteers for or works in RSD, Shin said.
Carcamo was nominated by Megan Menchella, history teacher at Crestview Middle School.
In the nomination, Menchella stated that Carcamo always pushed her students forward despite language barriers, and that Carcamo views all students as her own.
Carcamo said Menchella’s words held great value to her because she recognizes the isolation ESOL students can feel with their peers and strives to break down these barriers. She also works to help her students feel prideful in their differences and unique backgrounds.
“We do what we do every day so that we can have a positive and hopefully inspiring impact on our students’ lives, and we do so without any expectation of receiving recognition like this,” Carcamo said, “But when we are recognized, you can’t help but feel proud and even a little empowered. “
Menchella said she has worked with Carcamo for three years and nominated her because of Carcamo’s tireless push to go above and beyond for her students.
“She is reliable, engaging, and an all around wonderful person,” Menchella said. “She shies away from the spotlight, yet she deserves it the most.”
Emma Carcamo, daughter of Debra Carcamo and senior at Marquette High School, was present when Debra received the award.
“I was really excited for her and really proud of her because she’s a really good teacher, so she deserved it,” Emma said.
Emma said her mom is a great teacher and was deserving of the award, so it was really nice to surprise her.
“I felt very happy that I got to see her receiving that award because parents get to see us receive awards and everything, and it’s not like often we get to see our parents get awards and get recognition,” Emma said.
Andrew Shin, Senior Internal Communications Specialist, said the district usually receives hundreds of nominations each year.
“In Rockwood, it’s important that we recognize and honor individuals who go above and beyond their call of duty and contribute more than is expected,” Shin said.
This year, Shin said, recipients will be notified during late February or early March, with the 36th Annual ROSE Awards ceremony being held on Sunday, April 27, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Chesterfield. The event will also honor Cornerstone Award and Service Award recipients, Teachers of the Year, and retiring staff members.
Shin said nominations are read, judged and voted on by a selection committee made up of RSD community and staff members reviews the nominations.
“The ROSE Award honors the best of Rockwood,” Shin said.
Lisa Nieder, secretary at Marquette High School, is one of four ROSE Award committee chairs that assist with the program. Nieder was selected by the district communications office to represent the Marquette High School quadrant, and she is serving a two-year term.
Nieder said she has also been part of the awards selection committee in the past, and that it is a requirement to be a chairperson.
“We’ve already been part of the process historically, through anonymously, yeah, and then so now we’re kind of more on the forefront of it,” Nieder said.
She said the chairs hold many roles, such as reaching out to every school in their quadrant and asking for recommendations for candidates to be part of the anonymous selection committee. The selection committee consists of four members from each quadrant, plus a member from the district office.
Nieder said anyone in the RSD community may volunteer to be a reader, but selections are chosen to create a balance between the four quadrants and the individual’s role in the district. The committee is made up of parents, teachers, support staff and administrators.
“It’s a great way to recognize some of the wonderful teachers and staff members that we have,” Nieder said.
Along with teachers, police officers like George Corless, Student Resource Officer (SRO) at Ellisville Elementary, are contenders for the ROSE Award.
Corless won the award in 2020 after being nominated by retired Principal Dr. Allison Loy and Assistant Principal Brian Gentz.
Corless said he has been a SRO for nine or ten years and saw an increased need for visible police presence at schools after the Sandy Hook incident. When at Ellisville, Corless said his goal is to be visible to the school and community, while also making the school feel friendly and inviting to students.
“I try to participate in events so that students are protected without realizing that that’s why I’m there. When I attend a trunk or treat dressed as Batman, or come to school in the winter dressed as Buddy the Cop, I’m still a fully outfitted police officer, but the students don’t see me like that,” Corless said.
Corless said the nomination was also a complete surprise, including a visit of his children and a parade in the school’s hallways while “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang played on loop in the background.
“I’ve seen School Resource Officers that go above and beyond every day, building relationships with staff and students,” Corless said. “That’s what we as police officers should be doing everyday, building trust, making friends and communicating to make school safe and enjoyable for everyone.”