Hello everyone! October is here, and it’s time to see just who is in the SEPTA Spotlight this month! Our nomination comes from Amie V. who just had a son transition to middle school this year. Here’s what she had to say about her nominee:
“Ms. Greenlee is truly amazing. My son transitioned to middle school this year. Ms. Greenlee has made his experience as positive as possible. She created a Gentry Kindness Club and has worked together with SEPTA to help include both children in general education and special education. My son now has a club that he belongs to and looks forward to attending. Ms. Greenlee, herself is the embodiment of kindness. She is warm and compassionate. She is open to new ideas. She is a creative problem solver. She leads a wonderful and understanding special education team at Gentry Middle school. They are developing a lunch buddy program so that no child has to feel alone or left out at lunch. I feel that Ms. Greenlee truly cares for my child and all the children in special education. She has been able to calm some of my fears (and that is hard to do). She cares about the well-being of all children and is willing to put in the hard work to make sure they are happy. “
We love this idea! The world can always use more kindness and inclusion, and middle school can be especially rough. Having a focus on those areas there is fabulous. Ms. Greenlee was kind enough to answer a few questions for us so without further ado, we shine the SEPTA Spotlight on Gentry’s Ms. Greenlee!
How long have you worked with students?
I earned a bachelor of science in business administration and worked in the field of business prior to returning to school to study education. I started working with students in 2014 and have since earned a masters in education through night classes at Columbia College. Education is in my blood—my mother, father, aunt, grandmother, and grandfather all worked in education.
What’s your favorite part about your job?
There is so much collaboration involved in setting students up for success. I really enjoy working with parents, teachers, administrators, district support, outside service providers, and more. My very favorite part about each school day, though, is seeing and connecting with the students. The kids teach me so much about myself, life, and what is really important.
When you’re not at school, what do you enjoy doing?
I love spending time with my family. I have a wonderful, supportive partner and two incredible daughters. I’m so proud of them. My girls are involved in gymnastics, choir, drumming, and math club…we keep very busy!
Can you tell us a bit about Gentry’s Kindness Club?
Middle school is such an important time in a child’s life as they navigate social situations with more awareness and begin to discover who they are. I wanted to emphasize the power of kindness and the importance of making it a real part of your daily life. I wanted kids to see the benefits for themselves and for others.
Gentry Kindness Club began in the second semester of the 2017-2018 school year when I won a mini-grant through my school’s parent-teacher-student association. Unfortunately, health problems prevented me from running the club the following year. SEPTA reached out to me as this school year began, interested in starting an inclusion club. I told them about my Kindness Club and we realized we shared a mission! Inclusion is at the heart of the Kindness Club idea, providing an atmosphere where everyone is welcomed and accepted. SEPTA has supported the Gentry Kindness Club, allowing me to include more students in the club and provide additional, exciting opportunities to spread love and acceptance. I am excited to support SEPTA’s mission of spreading the word and supporting the start of Kindness Clubs in schools throughout our district!
And we’re excited to have people in our schools supporting this initiative as well. A huge thanks to Ms. Greenlee, for being an amazing role model for our students!
If you know of a staff member who is going above and beyond, let us know so we can give them the recognition they deserve. Visit our SEPTA Spotlight page to fill out our online submission form.
And if you’d like to spread a message of kindness yourself while helping us support clubs such as the Kindness Club, you can swing over to our It’s Cool to Be Kind t-shirt fundraiser.