Hall of Fame 2024
Congratulations to our 2024 winners!
On November 7th, the Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation had the honor of hosting the annual Hall of Fame Banquet & Reception. There are all types of leadership, but this ceremony strives to honor servant leaders who embody quiet, transformative leadership at their school or in the community. These leaders are humble, supportive, steady, and, most importantly, changemakers who want the best for Elkhorn students and the Elkhorn community.
The Hall of Fame winners this year were Sarah Addink (Carl L. White Educator of the Year), Emma Jackson (Golden Apple Educator of the Year), Sigifrido Orozco (Support Staff Member of the Year), Pat McCoy (Former Educator of the Year), Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph. D. (Alumnus of the Year), James Heinen (TeamMates Mentor of the Year), Metro Credit Union (Community Booster of the Year), and Michelle Hunsinger (Volunteer of the Year).
The evening was dedicated to honoring these amazing individuals and approximately 150 individuals attended to celebrate. Prior to the presentation of awards, there was dinner and a cocktail hour. Following dinner, the awards were presented to each of the recipients.
At the end of the presentation, Stacey L. Falk, EPSF Executive Director, announced that starting in 2025 the Support Staff Member of the Year Award will be renamed the Kevin Garrison Support Staff Member of the Year in honor of the late Kevin Garrison who passed away tragically in September.
Learn more about the 2024 recipients by clicking their name or scrolling below.
| Carl L. White Educator of the Year | Sarah Addink, Manchester Elementary |
| Golden Apple Educator of the Year | Emma Jackson, Elkhorn North Ridge Middle School |
| Support Staff Member of the Year | Sigifrido “Sigi” Orozco, Spring Ridge Elementary |
| Former Educator of the Year | Pat McCoy |
| Alumnus of the Year | Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph. D. |
| TeamMates Mentor of the Year | James Heinen |
| Community Booster of the Year | Metro Credit Union |
| Volunteer of the Year | Michelle Hunsinger |
View a list of past Hall of Fame recipients:
Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation Hall of Fame History
If you would to nominate someone for the 2025 Hall of Fame, nomination forms will be available in the spring or you can email foundation@elkhornfoundation.org.
Carl L. White Educator of the Year: Sarah Addink
Don Pechous, Executive Director of Personnel, was “honored to introduce Sarah Addink.” Don said, “Sarah embodies the qualities of a true leader.” As Sarah accepted her award, she said her spark for education has “only grown brighter.”
Sarah Addink’s passion for education ignited early as she was inspired by her mother, Linda’s 34-year career as a 2nd grade teacher. Her path to being a teacher began at University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO), where she earned degrees in both elementary and special education. Committed to lifelong learning, she also earned a Master’s Degree from Doane University and administration degree from Wayne State College. Currently, Sarah is working towards an Educational Specialist Degree, exemplifying her belief in continuous learning and development.
Sarah joined the Elkhorn Public Schools district in 2006 as special education teacher; she then transitioned to teaching third grade. Eventually, her desire to make a broader impact led her into administration. Before returning to Manchester as principal, Sarah served as an instructional facilitator at both West Bay and West Dodge Station Elementary. As Manchester’s principal, Sarah finds joy in three key areas: supporting the dedicated professionals who make up the school’s staff, witnessing and helping to facilitate student progress, and collaborating with the supportive Manchester families.
Golden Apple Educator of the Year: Emma Jackson
Kristi Gross, Director of Special Education, introduced Emma Jackson by saying “Emma is the embodiment of this award’s spirit. She is the kind of person who I want on my team.” When Emma accepted her award, she said, “Teaching is the most rewarding job.”
Emma Jackson always knew she wanted to be in education. During her senior year of high school, she was a teaching aide in the HS special education room and loved it. After graduating from Wayne High School in 2019, she attended Northwest Missouri State University majoring in K-12 Special Education and 1-6 General Education. In fall 2022, Emma student taught at Elkhorn South High School and Blue Sage Elementary. Emma credits a lot of her preparation & success as a teacher to this time with her cooperating teachers. She was offered a job at Elkhorn North Ridge Middle School in December 2022 and graduated from NWMSU in the spring of 2023.
Emma started her first year of teaching at ENRMS as a special education teacher in 2023. She also began assistant coaching the Elkhorn North Dance Team. She is grateful for the relationships and the community she has built through these two positions. Currently, Emma is in her second year of teaching and is incredibly thankful for her special education team and administrators for always being a great support system for her. She feels very blessed to work at ENRMS. Getting to work with wonderful students and collaborate with her fantastic co-workers makes her job enjoyable each day. It’s wonderful to have a work environment that feels like family.
Support Staff Member of the Year: Sigifrido Orozco
Laurinda Petersen, Spring Ridge Principal, introduced Sigifrido Orozco by saying, “He never wants to let his Spring Ridge family down. We love to come to the place that truly sparkles.” Sigi was very honored to receive this award and said thank you.
Sigifrido “Sigi” Orozco was born in Michoacán, Mexico. Sigi moved to California when he was 14 and lived there for more than 20 years. After traveling throughout the US for work, Sigi settled in Omaha, NE in 2003. Sigi began as a custodian at Spring Ridge Elementary School in 2003, and he has been there for 21 years. Sigi is very happy with the principal, staff, and students. While English is his second language, he has figured out a way to communicate with everyone at Spring Ridge. His colleagues, including Spring Ridge Principal Laurinda Petersen, notice Sigi’s attention to detail. Sigi is proactive when there is a problem and communicates with the necessary people.
Sigi’s family includes his late wife, Lidia Orozco, his two sons, Samuel and Geo, and grandson, Daniel. In his free time, Sigi enjoys yard work and spending time with his family. Overall, Sigi is super grateful for everything his Spring Ridge family has done for him, and he never expected this honor and for people to recognize him. As long as he can work, Sigi hopes he can do whatever he can for Spring Ridge.
Former Educator of the Year: Pat McCoy
Melissa Simons, Elkhorn South High School Language Arts Teacher, introduced Pat McCoy and accepted the awards on Pat’s behalf. There are many influencers today, but Melissa said, “The only influencer I needed was Pat McCoy. Pat made me feel accepted and important.”
Patricia McCoy grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and came to Omaha to attend college. She holds a B.A. in English from Creighton University and an M.A. in English from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Fortunate to spend her teaching career in the Elkhorn Public Schools, Pat found her students to be the best. Pat remains friends with many of her fellow teachers and former students today. Pat taught almost every course in the English department during her days at Elkhorn High, served as National Honor Society sponsor and Language Arts Curriculum Chair, and retired in 2013.
She has had the good fortune to work as an assessment liaison for Nebraska Wesleyan’s Honors Academy for the last ten years. This experience has taken her into approximately forty English classrooms in the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas every year, both public and private schools, to observe college-level instruction. This position solidified her belief that teaching English remains the greatest job: classrooms provide students and teachers engaging opportunities to learn from their mistakes, discuss important issues, express ideas clearly, see the whole picture of a subject, communicate via writing, and recognize the importance of listening.
Alumnus of the Year: Susanne E. Jalbert, Ph. D.
Susan Bullock, EHS alumna and long-time friend of Susanne, introduced Susanne E. Jalbert and accepted the awards on Susanne’s behalf. When introducing her friend of 60 years Susan said, “She had the power to achieve her goals and dreams.”
Susanne E. (Beckman) Jalbert (Class of 1969) was born in Holdrege, NE, and attended middle and high school in Elkhorn, NE. Susanne currently resides in Colorado, and she is a committed global gender equity advocate, economic development activist, and women’s rights political strategist. As a veteran global gender justice activist focused on international development, she has employed essential economic tools to create a more equitable, safe life for women in 50+ countries for 30 years on 95+ assignments in places broken by war, political transition, fragility, and instability.
Through the Elkhorn Public Schools Foundation Alumnus of the Year award, Susanne hopes that maybe she has a chance to influence an occupation decision to tilt toward internationalism. Dr. Jalbert hopes the young will see her professional path as a potential career choice.
TeamMates Mentor of the Year: James Heinen
Jennifer Meyer, TeamMates of Elkhorn President, introduced James by recounting a quote from his mentee, E: “I feel better when I meet with James.” James was “deeply honored” to accept this award, and he had a message for his mentee: “Thank you for trusting me to be part of your journey. I’m excited to be a part of whatever your future holds.”
James Heinen was born and raised in Minnesota. He graduated from Northfield High School then continued his education at St. Olaf College, graduating in 2001 with a B.S. in Sports Science. He currently works for Peter Kiewit Sons Inc. at their La Vista Campus. James is a proud parent of two adult children.
Through his journey, James has remained committed to his family and community. James balances a fulfilling career in IT, deep involvement in coaching youth hockey, mentoring with TeamMates, and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. James believes our youth need to have strong positive role models, and TeamMates is a great way to make a positive influence on a young person’s life.
Community Booster of the Year: Metro Credit Union
Stacey L. Falk, EPSF Executive Director, presented the Community Booster of the Year award to Metro Credit Union because they “stepped up beyond belief.” Brian Pickering accepted the award for Metro, and he said that the Foundation staff has been “wonderful to work with” and it is a “great partnership.”
Metro Credit Union is the Omaha area’s loan and deposit rate leader. More than 44,000 customers, or members as they call them, have come to rely on Metro Credit Union to provide the financial products and services they want and need. With five full-service branches and several express locations across the metro, plus mobile, online, and virtual banking options, their team is focused on delivering a seamless, customer-centric experience – 24 hours a day, every day. Simply, Metro Credit Union is here for the benefit of the people who bank with them. That’s their mission – since day one.
Most importantly, they’re honored to be a member of the communities where their employees and members live and work. They’re proud to call Elkhorn home!
Volunteer of the Year: Michelle Hunsinger
Mark Kalvoda, Elkhorn South High School Principal, introduced Michelle Hunsinger by saying, “Michelle embodies the very essence of parent involvement. Her contributions have made a lasting impact on our school community.” Michelle noted that, “I see a need and work to fill it.”
Michelle grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, and graduated from Putnam City North High School in 1986. She went on to attend the University of Oklahoma and graduated in 1990. Michelle met her husband, Charles, while at OU. They have two daughters; Jillian graduated from Elkhorn South High School in 2020, and Gretchen is currently a junior at ESHS.
Michelle has always had a passion for volunteering. She started as a classroom mom when Jillian was in Kindergarten. She has always loved ensuring teachers feel appreciated, so two years ago at Elkhorn South High School, Michelle partnered with National Honor Society to get the teacher appreciation program to a full week. She also has worked hard to implement another week of fun for teachers to look forward to before winter break. She also loves to help with any activity her daughters are involved.
Hall of Fame Event Photos
- 2024 Hall of Fame Recipients
Thank you to our 2024 Hall of Fame Sponsors!
