New Year Shout-Outs: Children’s Program supervisor shares staff recognition

January 12, 2021

An internal communication written by Residential Supervisor Cara Losapio reminds us of the power of positivity. Cara regularly gathers shout-outs from Latham team members for community-wide recognition, and her email to staff in the first week of the new year was uplifting:

“This year was faced with challenges that the Latham community has never experienced before, both as a whole and individually, and our motto of “Latham Strong!” was truly put to the test. However, not even a global pandemic can bring us down! As always, this team continued to not only endure, but overcome and thrive.

I have never been so proud to be a part of such an amazing group of people. The work we do isn’t easy, even during the best of times, yet you never gave up; not on Latham, not on each other, and most importantly, not on the children. Thank you for all you do, day in and day out, night after night, and month after month, to help make the “new normal” as normal as it can get for our students, all while never wavering in the quality of your care. It is truly an honor to work with you all!

Admissions team, what a thoughtful group – always working behind the scenes and brainstorming how to help others (PWS students at Latham and outside of Latham, parents, and Latham staff). You rock!

All Latham staff: Thank you to all the Latham staff for all you do day in and day out for our students!!! I greatly appreciate everyone’s hard work and enthusiasm during these trying times. I want to wish everyone a safe holiday season and a very HAPPY HAPPY new year!!!”

Neomie is the bomb!!! Thank you for creating the Christmas Workshop and all your efforts to make Christmas great for the kids.

Danny as Santa!!!! It was magical.

Gerry, leading the way. Kind of like Rudolph.

Bonnie is such a trooper.

Having Mac in Res is a dream come true.

Cooper has built such a wonderful relationship with NS. Thank you, Cooper.

Jose is always willing to help in any situation.

The nursing team is so on top of things. We are grateful for all you do.

Abby, Amy, and Bill, Christmas could not have happened without you!!! You guys are the best.

Neomie-let me count the ways she has helped- organization is clearly one of many strengths-wrapping gifts, playing Santa, organizing PPE- amazing!

Patti- wrapping endless presents and organizing!!

Santa and Mrs. Claus- reading “Twas the night before Christmas” – and the dance!!

Viki- setting up all those Christmas Zoom calls!!

Kitchen staff for another amazing meal prepared for Christmas.

Congrats to Eric, I know you’ll be a great teacher!

Shout out to the staff that are working with O, you guys are great with her.

Huge thank you to Zach, Carl, Hannah, and Laura for their help over the holidays on the deck/north. Can’t thank you all enough for your help.

Craig, you are my most favorite person to work with! You are organized, calm, and beyond fun!! I appreciate your compassion and integrity!

Kristina, I cannot express how grateful I am to have you for a supervisor! You are beyond professional and kind!!

MSZ, I appreciate your professionalism and presence! I appreciate how willing you are to jump in when your staff and students need you, always with compassion and humor! Res sups for kicking butt every day.

Khahn is the man!

Joey M is an unsung hero. He is so wonderful to work with.

Cara for everything she does each day. We couldn’t do it without you!

Neomie for the unbelievable work she did for a great Christmas for the kids.

The sups that worked hard to ensure the best holiday, thank you!

Shout out to all of our weekend warriors. We salute you.

Cooper is an absolute gem!

Mac is an awesome addition to the res team.

Melanie M is so great to work with!

Amanda and Tina for holding it down day after day.

Monique for everything she has been doing with fitness for the kids.

Chris H and the kitchen staff are an all-star crew.

Laura is so wonderful and has such an honest and on point perspective.

Bonnie, we can’t say enough about all the hard work you are doing!!!

Patti for keeping me sane.

Melissa for holding it down.

Brant for always being consistent.

Susan for Rocking the cameras.

Tina for being awesome.

Amanda for being an amazing BS.

Taylor- for holding down everything on Christmas Day. It was a pleasure to work with you!

Neomie for her AWESOME Christmas prepping!

Taylor for running the school shift on Christmas Day!

All staff who worked on Christmas Day, the kids had a blast and you made it so special for them.

Laura H for being pulled every which direction and just going with it! You are a very solid staff! Thank you!

Victoria for being a trooper and acting as BS on Christmas Eve!

Cooper for providing consistency.

Jose for always taking over for me!

Scott V. His approach to the boys is calm and comforting.

Tina and Amanda ‘cause they are awesome.

Patti for jumping into action and hosting a Saturday testing booth.

All the staff for staying safe and continuing to test negative.

Gerry for working on his vacation on all things COVID.

Patrice for jumping into action with a variety of different types of PWS trainings.

Rob S. for his Sunday Bingo Nights.

Ashley P. and Susan L. for keeping everyone up to date.

Meghan F. for continuing to wear so many hats.

Viki, Bonnie, and all others involved in planning for student returns.

Hannah T. ‘cause she’s amazing.

Melinda is solid and so dependable.

Cora works well everywhere!

Stephanie for handling a stressful situation so well!

MSZ for everything you do behind the scenes and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Sam M, Clay, Jasmine, Raina for all your hard work with the Cottage girls.

Ron S, Carter, Sandale, and Celine for coming up with new plans for the girls to make the Cabin awesome!!

All Latham staff for your consistent effort during these tough Covid times!!

Taylor for running an awesome Sunday shift!!

Scott V is a great addition to the school shift!

Laura H, you have been such an amazing help to me. Thank you for all that you do!!!

Joey is the best ever. He is kind, patient, and all about the students.

Thank you Victoria for all the shifts you’ve been picking up. It’s awesome to have you around so much.

I can’t say enough good things about Cooper. They are an amazing staff. Cooper you put in such an amazing effort.

Jose, thank you for being such an awesome supervisor. I feel nothing but support from you. I appreciate you more than you know!!

Gerry for being an amazing leader and always being upfront about what’s going on around campus.

Jeff, Emily, and Michelle for holding it down in the Tuckets. You guys rock.

Tara for being so supportive of staff and students. I know I can always go to her with ANYTHING!!

Thank you to all the staff that are just rolling with the punches, with the classrooms staying in their suites, it’s not an easy thing. You are all ROCKSTARS.

Julie. Just Julie. Thank you for always being so reliable. Knowing that I can count on you is a great feeling!

Shout out to Amanda for knowing the students and being so calm and caring in all situations.

Tina. She’s simply the best. Better than all the rest. I LOVE YOU.

Cara and Danny for being on top of literally EVERYTHING going on on campus. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

Catherine for being a spectacular teacher!

Gerry and Bonnie for leading us through the pandemic by staying with us in the trenches!

Viki and Heather for helping me stay on top of my day-to-day responsibilities!

Thanks to Viki for enthusiastically leading community meeting.

Thanks to Carl for his fun creative approach- especially with the Christmas wrap concert.

Thanks to Sam for being a great team player- you will be missed.

Thanks for Tracy for being the consistent rock of the Nursing Dept.

Shout out to Kathy, Christian, Bonnie, and Kristina for handling the call-outs since March!! They have done an amazing job in guiding everyone on safety protocols during this very difficult time!!

MaryClaire, for always being uplifting to others and spreading her positivity everywhere she goes! Your kindness warms so many hearts!

Maureen, my kindred spirit! Thanking for always laughing with me (and sometimes at me!), glad I found someone whose crazy matches mine!

Eric, congratulations on the promotion, so well deserved! You are so kind, collaborative, and always willing to lend a hand.

Laura, it is so exciting to have you back in the Vineyard! We’ve missed you!

Happy Birthday Melissa! I don’t know how you do it all and still stay sane (relatively!). You are a true BOSS and inspiration!

Danny, just having your presence on campus has lightened up the energy. So glad to have you back!

Amanda, you are not only incredible at your job, you make even the most challenging days easier just by being you! Sometimes, just getting the eyes from you in a mentally exhausting issue is all I need to decompress.

Taylor, thank you for always helping make sure the days run smoothly, whether it is helping with behaviors or admin work, and having a positive attitude. You have a bright future ahead of you!

Stephanie, you have been a champ surviving your first Christmas at Latham while being suite-less and working out of your comfort zone. You rolled with the punches like a champ! You are a natural!

Irina, thank you for not only all the work you do for our Simpkins kiddos and making sure they have the best days possible (and the most fun!), but for all the extra help and support you have given throughout the holidays! It’s always a nice surprise when I get to see your face and I know the kids love seeing you on campus too!

Caitlin, you are so conscientious and truly want to be and do your best, and you always do! Thank you for not only for making sure the kids are active and having fun, but being proactive and solution-focused in the care of our students.

The Maintenance Dept. is awesome! Thanks for all the heavy lifting!!!!

Amanda: Thank you for always greeting me with a smile!

Taylor: Thank you so much for all the work you put in during the holidays!

Of course Cara, you know what you mean to all of us!!! I can’t wait to see you next!! 🙂

Melissa, Melissa, Melissa. I know it has been crazy, but you have been handling every curveball with grace. You are amazing!

Michelle, Emily, and Jeff! – Great job with the classroom observation the other day! Way to rock it!

Zach – You are so creative with your lessons and all the students are engaged.

Heidi – You are always so positive and work so well with the kiddos. Thank you for always being a ray of sunshine

Neomie – Great work in the clinical assessment area! It looks great!

Craig – It is always so good to talk to you. Thank you always for the positive conversations!

Carlyn- You are always receptive to staff feedback and work so hard to make things on the floor flow best for the student and all the staff involved. Thank you, Carlyn!

Neomie- You have been working so hard on campus with Christmas, new year’s, setting up assessment, isolation, and clinical (which all look beautiful). Thank you Neomie!

Cooper- You have done amazing! You are so patient & Caring.

Megan F- You are my favorite person to bother with all of my questions and weird ideas. You make me and everyone around you smile.

So many amazing staff where to even start!!

Matt O coming in clutch today with school.

Mac coming in early and staying to help out was a huge help.

Victoria working crazy hours and still being awesome.

Laura H is my hero, never fails to help.

Sandale always putting smiles on everyone’s faces (even with the masks on).

Amanda bringing so much positive energy to her shifts.

Craig and Catherine keep their group engaged. They make a great team.

Patricia, Melissa, Patti for assisting & Jose thanks!

Rob for working school on New Years.

Heidi…. you’re just amazing!

Joey, thanks for your assistance everywhere you go!

Kristina for just being there always and giving great advice!

Jose thanks for listening to me vent at 10pm The night before!! You’re awesome and I’m happy that you’re my side kick!