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CCASB 2011 Awards
The Copper Country Association of School Boards
holds an annual awards ceremony to
recognize students, employees and
community members from area schools who
have made a significant meritorious
impact on the educational system.
All nominations must meet a specific set
of criteria. (Click
here to view criteria PDF
Format.) Awards are also presented
at the ceremony to local school boards
and individual school board members who
have reached milestones in the Michigan
Association of School Boards' Board
Member Awards Program.
The following individuals from the CCISD were
presented with awards for the 2010-11
school year at a dinner ceremony on
April 27, 2011, at the Michigan
Technological University Memorial Union
Ballroom. Information is
also provided concerning this year’s
area-wide Copper Country Leadership
Award recipient.
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MASB Master Platinum and Advocacy Skills Awards
Nels Christopherson, CCISD Board Secretary, was
presented with the Michigan Association of
School Boards (MASB) Master Platinum Award, as
well as the Advocacy Skills Specialty Award, as
part of the MASB’s Board Member Awards program.
The Awards Program,
with basic certification as its cornerstone, was
developed in 1990 with input from both veteran
Michigan school board members and
representatives from higher education and state
administrator organizations.
Its goal is to enhance the ability of
school boards to improve Michigan public schools
and the achievement of 1.6 million Michigan
students.
Board members receive credit through
completion of Certified Board Award (CBA)
classes, attendance at MASB conferences and
through service as an officer on a board.
There are seven levels in the program.
The Master Platinum Award is the sixth level of the
program and is given to board members who
completed levels one
through five, with a total of 19 advanced level
classes and a minimum of 813 education credits.
The Advocacy Skills
Specialty Award is a prestigious award presented
to board members who have completed requirements
for the first level of the awards program and
specific additional CBA classes focused on
advanced community relations, media relations,
public speaking, risk communication, focusing on
feedback, shaping public opinion, spokesperson
training and advocacy for public education.

Pictured above: Nels
Christopherson, MASB Master Platinum and
Advocacy Skills Specialty Awards Recipient.
Student Leadership Award: Karena LaTendresse
Karena
LaTendresse
is the daughter of Dan and Lorraine LaTendresse
of Chassell and is a senior at Chassell Schools.
She is actively involved in the Health
Careers/Nursing Assistant program at the ISD and
the Health Occupations Students of America
(HOSA), currently serving as HOSA President.
Karena is a straight A student with a
cheerful and positive disposition.
She is self-motivated and consistently
exceeds expectations in the classroom, in the
HOSA chapter and in the clinical setting.
She has been involved in several
community service projects with HOSA this year.
She visited the elderly at the Houghton
County Medical Care Facility and in the
community during the holidays.
She has become certified by Marquette
General Hospital to work at area blood drives
taking vital signs.
She helped to organize the Region IX HOSA
leadership conference at Finlandia University,
where students participated in team building and
leadership activities.
Karena received a gold medal in Prepared
Speaking at the UP- wide HOSA Regional
competition in Escanaba in February, and will
compete against the best in the State in
Traverse City.
Karena serves on the
student council at Chassell, is Senior class
president, a member of the National Honor
Society and has played basketball since the 5th
grade, having been named defensive player of the
year in 2011 and to the conference defensive
team in 2010-2011.
She is also active in 4-H and has sold
award winning steers at the Houghton County and
UP State Fairs.
Karena plans to attend
Finlandia University in the fall to major in
nursing and has earned articulated credit in
Medical Terminology and Professional Rescuer
Training.
She plans to take her certification exam
this spring and work as a Certified Nursing
Assistant while she attends college.

Pictured from left to right: Nels
Christopherson, CCISD Board Secretary; and
Karena LaTendresse, Student Leadership Award
Recipient.
Outstanding Education Employee Award:
Carla Strome
Carla Strome
has served as the Social Studies
Consultant and School Improvement Facilitator
for the Copper Country ISD since 2001.
In this position, she has provided
teachers and administrators with excellent
professional development and support in the
areas of school improvement, new teacher
mentoring, literacy, state and federal mandates,
content standards, integrating technology into
the curriculum, social studies, English language
arts, service learning and innovative
instructional and assessment strategies.
Carla is the model of an exemplary
educator; she always conducts herself in the
most professional and effective manner in any
project she takes on.
Before Carla took the position at the
CCISD, she was a teacher at the E.B. Holman
School for ten years, where she taught a variety
of subjects and grades.
In this position, her colleagues
recognized her work through the Michigan
Education Association Teacher of the Year Award
in 1993 and 1999.

Pictured from left to right: Robert Roy,
CCISD Board Treasurer, and Carla Strome,
Outstanding Education Employee Award Recipient.
School Service Award: Simple Kindness for
Youth (SKY)
The concept of SKY was developed in 2009-2010 as
a grassroots effort to help area youth build
self esteem by helping them access basic needs
and activities not covered by the schools or
other agencies.
By 2010, SKY obtained official nonprofit
status, established a Board of Directors and a
website, and expanded their group of committed
volunteers.
Their board consists of CCISD and
area-wide educators.
They are now set up to take contributions
to be used for SKY Mini-Grant awards for area
youth.
Some of the mini-grant awards have
provided winter coats, books, a cap and gown for
graduation and the fee for Driver’s Education.
SKY members have sponsored numerous fund raising
events, including pancake breakfasts and a very
popular Reach for the SKY Talent Show, featuring
area youth.

Pictured from left to right: Karen Johnson, CCISD
Board Trustee; and SKY Board Members Lynnette
Borree, Risa Williamson, Kathy Flagstadt, Sue
O’Connell and Janette Polkinghorn.

Pictured from left to right: Carla Strome, Karena
LaTendresse, Sue O’Connell, Risa Williamson,
Kathy Flagstadt and Janette Polkinghorn.
Copper Country Leadership Award: Art Simila
The 2010 Copper Country Education Leadership
Award was presented to Art Simila, a former
member of both the Copper Country ISD and CLK
Public Schools Boards of Education.
Art was the first Keweenaw County
representative on the CCISD Board in 1965, and
in over 26 years of service held the offices of
Trustee, Treasurer, Vice-President and
President.
His efforts were instrumental in the
construction and opening of the former Mohawk
Elementary School and in the establishment of
center based special education programs at the
Copper Country Learning Center in Hancock.
CCISD Board President Albert Koskela spoke to
the crowd about Art’s extensive service to local
education.
Art was unable to attend to accept the award;
however, it was presented to him on May 11th
at the Copper Country ISD offices.

Pictured from left to right: Robert Loukus,
CLK School Board Member; Art Simila, Copper
Country Education Leadership Award Recipient;
and Albert Koskela, Copper Country ISD Board
President.
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