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2021-22 Above & Beyond Awards winner: Rosanna Chavez Leon

Rosanna Chavez Leon

“There is no better payout than being the one to make a difference in a child's day.”

Rosanna Chavez Leon’s role at Evergreen Park Elementary may be to support the center-based special education students at the school, but for her, the responsibilities don’t end there.

“I have a professional persistence to help each and every one of our students,” she said. “I make sure to help each and every student who needs the support. If we have a calm setting, chances are my SPED students will be more successful.”

“Rosie is amazing at building relationships with students who can sometimes exhibit challenging behaviors,” said Erin Meyer Stamp, a mental health therapist at Evergreen who nominated Chavez Leon. “She is able to see the positive, and students LOVE her!”

Meyer Stamp said Chavez Leon is a creative problem solver who has innovative ideas for de-escalation and calming strategies, and the relationships she builds along the way helps students to both feel better and work better. 

As a bilingual, native Spanish speaker who grew up in a diverse environment, Chavez Leon said she loves to help students share and celebrate their cultural differences and embrace each person’s unique traditions, which she said helps to strengthen connections with her students. 

This school year is Chavez Leon’s first as a paraeducator, and she said her time at Evergreen Park Elementary has driven her to pursue a career helping students with emotional-behavioral disorders. She will begin working on her masters degree in special education this June.

The 2022 Above & Beyond Awards ceremony to honor Chavez Leon and 13 other exceptional employees will take place April 13 at the Educational Service Center (ESC).