THOMASVILLE- There is a new honor aimed toward recognizing some of the unsung heroes walking the halls of Thomas County Central High School. The school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and Future Georgia Educators organizations joined forces this academic year for the TCCHS FCCLA & FGE Staff Member of the Month award.

The award recognizes the adults – teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, coaches, secretaries, counselors, custodians, lunch staff, etc. – who make a difference in students’ lives. The key component of this campaign is students get to nominate adults for the honor.

“There are lots of opportunities for adults to recognize other adults, but very few opportunities for students to recognize adults,” FGE adviser Delisa Barrow said. “This campaign also encourages teenagers to get out of their comfort zone and give compliments to adults. The goal – besides being student-nominated – is for the unsung heroes to get recognition.”

The nomination process is a simple one. A link to a Google form will go live in each grade’s Google Classroom the first week of every month, and students have one week to nominate a staff member. During the third week of each month, the FCCLA/FGE leadership team reviews the nominations and chooses the top three. Then, advisers Amy Smith and Barrow choose the month’s recipient. The winner receives a goodie basket from FCCLA/FGE and local sponsors.

Computer Science teacher Mark Thompson is September’s winner and recipient of the first-ever TCCHS FCCLA & FGE Staff Member of the Month award.

“It was heart-warming and an honor to be recognized,” Thompson said. “We do this job because we love our kids and want them to be successful in life.”

Jaydon Flemming is one student who nominated Thompson. He said the teacher’s class gets better every year.

“The way he teaches is just perfect,” Flemming wrote in his nomination form. “He goes around to every student that needs help and goes into detail about everything he teaches. The main thing that separates him from most other teachers is how he treats his students like friends instead of students while keeping everything professional.”

Currently, the nomination process is underway for the October award.

“We encourage students to be on ‘high alert’ when trying to spot adults doing something kind or being a positive influence in the lives of others,” Barrow said.