Three classified employees of the Ceres Unified School District staff were honored with the annual “Employees Making a Difference Award” by the Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Stanislaus Charter of the Association of California School Administrators.

Honored at the 18th annual event held Wednesday, Jan. 22, were Ceres Unified School District classified employees: 

•  Ashton Avila, a paraprofessional with CUSD’s Student Services division;

• Rohini Kishor, the cafeteria manager at Central Valley High School;

• Clayton Gassittie, a mechanic in the district’s transportation department.

Gassittie advances to competition to see who will become the California “Classified School Employee of the Year.”

In addition to the three CUSD employees, others recognized last week were Melody Chavez, the Community Liaison at Spratling Middle School and Keyes Unified School District; and Stacy Galvan, a language lab paraprofessional at Fox Road Elementary School.

Ashton Avila

Ashton Avila was honored for her exemplary work and dedication as a paraprofessional and for her ability to foster strong relationships with students and staff, creating an atmosphere of trust and collaboration.

She was especially singled out for remaining calm and de-escalating challenging moments with students and helping them navigate difficulties and regain control. Her ability to identify things that “trigger” students allows her to tailor interventions to meet individual student needs.

Avila also collaborates closely with CUSD’s behavior specialist, school psychologists, teachers and administrators and shares strategies to enhance the classroom experience.

One teacher noted that Avila is a hard worker who “jumps into any task as soon as she steps into the classroom (and) supports me with a student who displays aggressive behaviors and throws fits about every other day. She pays close attention to the student’s mood and she has been successful at preventing behaviors many times. She is positive, friendly, and very intuitive. She has many great ideas and techniques to resolve behavioral problems.”

Because of her reputation as a vital resource in understanding student behavior, administrators often request her at their sites. One administrator shared that she “handles difficult situations in a calm manner and is always respectful with the staff and students that she works with.”

Before joining the Student Services Department, Avila worked several years with CUSD’s Special Education Department, working closely with students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). 

Outside of her job, Avila is active in 4-H and has coached Ceres Youth Baseball & Softball Association (CYBSA) teams.

Rohini Kishor

Rohini Kishor has 19 years of experience in student nutrition and student focused service. She has advanced from food service worker I to Cafeteria Lead Food service worker II to her current position as a cafeteria manager at Central Valley High School where over 1,900 meals are served daily.

School administrators say Kishor is a professional who has a great attitude, a positive outlook and enthusiasm that seems to rub off on everyone around her. She also leads her team by example by not shying away from laborious work, and getting her hands dirty. They feel her light-hearted approach and her good work ethic motivates others raise the bar at work.

One of her colleagues described her this way: “Whenever I see Rohini, she’s got a great attitude. She is a shining example of what a positive employee can be and her enthusiasm is contagious.”

Kishor was honored as the “Employee of the Year” in her department during the 2012-13 school year.

Outside of the workplace, Kishor is involved in her temple’s fundraising efforts, such as for hurricane relief. At various times of the year she and her family feed the homeless in Ceres as a kind gesture in memory of her loved ones who have passed on. 

Clayton Gassittie

Clayton Gassittie has a very busy job being responsible for repairing and maintaining the district’s 21 school buses, some of which are more than 30 years old.

Armed with a positive attitude and sense of humor, Gassittie often shows up to work early and does his best to keep the buses safe for the kids, and always passes the CHP inspections.

When bus drivers discover a problem during pre-trip inspections, Gassittie gets into the quick repair mode to help drivers to stay with their familiar assigned buses instead of driving a spare.

Gassittie is the Classified Lead for the CUSD transportation, meaning he is in charge when the director is absent. 

He works well with the different personalities of bus drivers, and he is ready to dispense advice to mechanics from the auto shop who frequently come to him on difficult repairs.

In addition, Gassittie represents the transportation employees in labor negotiations as their site representative. 

He also has been ready to help district employees with their small car problems, such as jumping a dead battery or fixing a flat tire. Gassittie also gives advice to mechanics from neighboring school districts to help them diagnose bus problems. In fact, superintendents and transportation supervisors from other districts have asked if he can be contracted to work on their school buses.