Mary Lynne Krebs, English composition assistant at James Hubert Blake High School, has been selected to receive the SEIU Local 500 Champions for Children Supporting Services Employee of the Year Award for 2005.

Krebs will be honored, along with the Teacher of the Year, the Edward Shirley Award for Excellence in Educational Administration and Excellence winner, Greenblatt Excellence in Education recipients, and others at the Third Annual Champions for Children Gala. The gala, hosted by the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education, will take place on Wednesday, April 20, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel.

Krebs originally trained as a teacher and served in the Peace Corps after college. She came to Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) as a supporting services employee 12 years ago. She is described by her colleagues and supervisors at Blake High School as bringing professionalism, intelligence, passion, enthusiasm, patience, and humor to her job each day.

English resource teacher Estelene Boratenski nominated Krebs, and glowing letters of recommendation were submitted by administrators, students, and staff at Blake. Sue Bai, a former student now studying at Georgetown University, wrote that Krebs “continues to inspire me as a student, writer, and aspiring educator.”

Krebs was selected from a field of candidates that included two other finalists. The first runner-up for the award is Ildemaro “Cuki” Perez, a building service worker from Takoma Park Middle School. A 20-year employee of MCPS, Perez was described by Principal Jean Haven as the perfect ambassador for their school. He commands the respect of the students and the staff, and his contributions to community go far beyond his job description.

Second runner-up this year is Doris Scott, secretary in the Placement and Assessment Services Unit of the Department of Special Education. Known as “Scottie,” she has been a dedicated employee of MCPS for 35 years. Her “cheerful serenity,” sensitivity, integrity, and competence are highly valued, according to those she works with, as she juggles the heavy workload of one of many behind-the-scenes jobs critical to the support of MCPS students.