Beginning January 2016 the Estill County School District will begin implementation of “The Mountain Movers Staff Recognition Program”. The Mountain Movers program evolved from discussions with members of the community, employees and other district stakeholders. The program will recognize employees who go far beyond the call of duty, doing more than what is expected. This is what excellence is all about. Recognizing talented staff members continues to be one of the district’s top priorities. The program is designed to spotlight the far-reaching and profound impact our staff have on their students. The goal of the district is to promote a culture where every school and each department is encouraged to promote a sense of school spirit, teamwork and pride.

A staff recognition program can be used to motivate employees to solve problems, provide great customer service and come up with helpful ideas for the entire district. A recognition program encourages staff to take a greater involvement in the lives of our students and our district, and be more dedicated to its growth. As a result, our district rewards the staff member for their loyalty and commitment. Excellence comes from striving for and maintaining the highest standards, paying attention to the smallest detail and going the extra mile. Excellence means caring -- it means making effort to do more. Celebrating excellence is an important part of the Board of Education's recognition of the contribution made by the employees of the Estill County School District.

Nomination and Selection Process

1. A committee shall have the responsibility of managing the nomination, selection, and award process for the Estill County Mountain Movers Staff Recognition program.
2. The Superintendent and Community Education Director shall make the initial appointment of the necessary number of committee members in early January 2016.
3. Composition of the Estill County Mountain Movers Award committee shall be one (1) building representative, one (1) non-instructional representative, one (1) central office representative and one designated person from each business sponsor. Members of the committee shall serve for one year and are not eligible to receive the award during their year of service.  
4. A candidate for the award will be nominated by using a district approved nomination form. The form will allow nominators to provide information about their nominee and his or her outstanding work as determined by the person who nominates them.
5. One (1) instructional and one (1) non-instructional staff member will be selected per month. Deadline for submission is the 20^th day of each month. There will be no selections during the months of June and July.
6. The single certified/instructional and classified/non-instructional award winners will be recognized by the Board of Education monthly at a public board meeting and on the district website. Information will also be submitted for publication to local media.
7. At the conclusion of each calendar school year, One (1) instructional and one (1) non-instructional staff member will be recognized publicly as Employee of the Year. 

Award Framework

Award recipients shall receive:

• A visit from the members of the committee to present the award, where a picture will be taken for publication in local media
• A token of appreciation provided by community partner sponsorship
• A certificate suitable for framing
• An invitation to the Annual recognition event
• Employee of the year recipients will receive a plaque and financial award.