2026 Gold Star Award Nominations
Celebrating the everyday heroes in Bellingham Public Schools
While there is no way to recognize all of the incredible work the staff of Bellingham Public Schools does each day, we are thrilled to be able to recognize a few that have stood out and helped a student feel seen, cared for, and supported.
These nominations came from staff, students, and parents in our district. Each one deserves a HUGE Gold Star! One nominee from this list will be honored at our annual Promising Futures Gala in October.
Read about each to see the amazing impact this group has had on Bellingham students!
2026 Gold Star Nominees
Cami Burfeind
1st Grade Teacher – Sunnyland Elementary
“Cami goes above and beyond to support student’s literacy and multilingual development. Her first grade class recites the Sunnyland promise in both English and Spanish each day and she incorporates both languages into daily activities. With a language diverse class, this makes so many students feel seen and helps the entire class learn new and valuable language skills.
On a personal note, our daughter started the year behind in reading. Cami worked hard to build our daughter’s confidence and give her opportunities to practice reading. This included finding her a reading partner through a partnership with students from WWU. Less than a year later our daughter is a proud and proficient reader thanks to Cami coordinating this opportunity for her. When Cami showed up to watch Sunnyland students play in a weekend soccer game, you could see how confident and proud they felt having their teacher there.
Through songs and stories in English and Spanish and opportunities to work with community partners, Cami’s students are leaving first grade having gained so much from her. She has created a classroom that celebrates multilingualism and each student’s unique talents. Thank you Cami Burfeind!”
Shane Clement
Head Custodian – Columbia Elementary
“I can think of no one more deserving of the Gold Star Award than our head custodian, Shane Clement. Shane is outside every morning making sure our school is clean and beautiful. He greets all of the students with a friendly wave and the students are also happy to say hi to “Mr. Shane”. I think he knows all of the students (and most of the families) at our school by name! Whenever we have hosted events, Shane is a HUGE help. He has helped with our Science Fair, Craft Night, End-of-year Dance, and so much more. For our Science Fair, he had a great idea about how to arrange the tables in the cafeteria so that we could best host our event. He is ALWAYS available to help out. He has helped carry T-shirts for our Move-A-Thon, helped carry folding tables for events, and he always does this with a smile on his face. Additionally, Shane is probably just one of the most genuinely nice people I know. We are so lucky to have him as a part of our school community. He works so hard and is so deserving of this Golden Star award.”
Kimberly Cook
Special Education Teacher – Northern Heights Elementary
“Mrs. Cook is an incredible mentor, teacher, and leader! She cares so deeply about all her students and her staff. She provides individual care and academic plans for multiple students at a time. Mrs. Cook is incredible and she is a blessing to all who get the honor of working with her.”
Aaron Lear
Teacher – Silver Beach Elementary
“Our son spent 2 years in Mr. Lear’s class, and still talks about how great it was. Mr. Lear was able to navigate challenging, disruptive students with great classroom management. He knew the importance of getting the kids outside and moving their bodies, and would run them around at the end of the day. His energy was palpable, and he helped our son, who doesn’t generally love school, have a great 2 years.”
Kennedy Garrison
Promise K Teacher – Cordata Elementary
“Ms. Garrison went above and beyond to creatively engage her students and get them excited to be at school. Every week she had a new theme for the topics they were learning about and would deck out her classroom, dress up, and bring in creative art projects in support of the topics they were learning about. She fostered an amazing sense of community and support in her classroom and really created a welcoming, fun, and loving environment to learn in each day. Her enthusiasm was contagious and as the school year was ending my daughter said she wished she could freeze time and stay in Ms. Garrisons class forever. Ms. Garrison would bring in volunteers and community members to help the kids learn about the different topics she was teaching about. She built elaborate structures like a safari car during dino week so they could go on a Jurassic Park ride while learning to be paleontologists; she constructed a mock burning building the week the firefighter was onsite to save their stuffies from; built a castle for Disney day; pulled out a red carpet for the Oscars; hosted the winter Olympics making custom flags and shirts for every student in the class and each student made Olympic torches and hosted a friendly competition with the other Promise K class; had a stuffie sleepover party and inside camping trip with s’mores and a campfire; did a March Madness book tournament; each student built a leprechaun trap and went on a hunt with gold coins that appeared in a bubbling caldron, they hatched baby chicks in class and learned about caring for animals and hosted chick birthday parties…the list goes on and on where Ms. Garrison creatively and adeptly engaged the kids so they were excited to learn and come to school everyday. Honestly I was jealous and wish I could have come to Ms. Garrisons class everyday too because it just looked like so much fun! My daughter was really engaged with what she was learning. Ms. Garrison deserves all of the gold stars! She is phenomenal!”
Wendy Born
7th Grade Core and Social Studies – Shuksan Middle School
“Wendy has sung my child’s praises all year long last year. She created a wonderful classroom environment throughout the year through the creative themes relating to what they were focusing on at that time. She nurtured my child’s creative writing by highlighting what made their work outstanding and continually made my kid feel outstanding. It’s really wonderful that Shuksan has a teacher that my middle schooler is excited to be in class with. I’m very grateful that my child had Wendy for two classes last year.”
Joy Lovingood
Head Custodian – Carl Cozier Elementary
“Joy is someone who learns the name of every child and parent and sibling who sets foot through the doors of Cozier. She makes us all feel valued, loved, and welcomed. She takes 5th grade students after school to Bowl downtown through Bowling club. She is just a total rock star and deserves recognition for her contributions to making Carl Cozier a very special place!”
Nick Strobel
Orchestra Teacher – Bellingham High School
“Mr. Strobel consistently goes above and beyond everyday to create an inclusive, inspiring and fun environment. After every class my student comes back with a great story about Mr. Strobel and talks about his class more than any other. That goes to show how engaging his classes are. Plus he spends weekends and evenings with his students and is very investing in the program’s success. I can’t think of someone more deserving than Nick.”
Doss Herndon-Schepper
4th Grade Teacher – Carl Cozier Elementary
“I was fortunate enough to have Mr H teach both of my daughters 4th grade, in 2024 and 2026.
My older daughter entered the 4th grade and seemed to cruise through her studies without much effort. I was impressed to see Mr H’s excitement in parent teacher meetings about how to challenge her and spark interest in things which she is less interested. When asked for home ways we could challenge her, he gave us practical ideas that we could implement in addition to her regular schooling, which did give her difficulty. An uncomfortable, but needed experience for her.
We were happy to hear our second daughter was going to get him as well, however I was nervous. Things did not come as easy for our young fourth grade second-born daughter. At parent meetings I was surprised to see the same exuberant teacher who was quick to praise her strengths that he identified. He again gave us a personalized plan to help her with topics that she was struggling to stay up to speed. She is slower to master things, and easily would be discouraged. During the year she has really improved on all fronts and went from being insecure and quick to be frustrated, to excited to show us her strategies for math she learned at school.
Driving home from school close to the end of the year, I was reflecting on her year and she proclaimed that Mr H had “taught her more than any other teacher had before”.
Finally, after heading back to the ball fields after school to watch a classmate play softball, I was happy to see Mr H there. He was there to support his students who earlier in the day asked if he could come see them play their game after work. Talk about dedication.
I reflect what he has done for my daughters, and feel I should have thanked him in a greater way. I also think about all the other students he has helped, and how they and their parents may not even be aware of what he has done for them. I hope the school district recognizes him as the exceptional teacher he is.”
Leif Miller
Kindergarten Teacher – Cordata Elementary
“My son is autistic, nonverbal, and has a physical disability. In the past school has been hard for him, but Mr. Miller’s class was a space he was excited to go ever morning. He fostered a loving and inclusive atmosphere that trickled down to the students. Mr Miller and the children in his class would greet my son by name each day and truly, I believe, made him feel loved and accepted. My boy had a better school year than I ever could have imagined for him. He learned and grew so much academically, but also socially (which is a big deal for him), and he gained SO much confidencein himself. I am so grateful for the chance my kiddo had to spend the year in his class, it will be a hard year to beat.”
Graham Thomas
Transportation – Parkview Elementary
Every morning when I get to school, Captain Graham is pulling in with a bus load of Parkview students. Sometimes he is there a few min early for morning recess, so while he waits with the kids on the bus he is playing games or telling stories. You can hear laughter and feel the joy the kids have before they have even started their day at school. You can tell our students feel cared for!
Dana Ferrier
Teacher – Whatcom Middle School
“Ms. Ferrier is an incredible teacher who makes learning so fun and engaging for students. She makes history come alive for middle schoolers! My son came home daily telling us fun facts about the Ancient Greeks or Egyptian culture or Mesopotamia, and all the creative ways he and his friends got to explore different topics in Ms. Ferrier’s class. The effort and care she puts into her students and their learning goes above and beyond!”
Sydney Balfour
Special Education Teacher – Shuksan Middle School
“Sydney is a very compassionate teacher with students and staff around her. She is always ready to support students and paras in distress. She is always on the move!”
Erin McEachern
Special Education Teacher – Whatcom Middle School
“I met Erin when she became my then 8th grader’s IEP caseworker in 2023.
She believed in him, supported him, and saw his kind heart when many saw a kid that had a bit of an attitude and was a bit difficult. It completely changed his perspective and how he trusts adults in the school environment.
This last year she was another one of my kiddos IEP caseworker. And, again, her support and compassion just helped him build confidence.
I can never thank her enough for how amazing she is.”
Liam Weydert
German Teacher – Bellingham High School
“Liam Weydert has gone above and beyond the standards for a high school language teacher. He has created numerous opportunities for kids to really participate in German language and culture to build a global citizen mentality and identity. He also reinstituted the GAPP program, (German American partnership program), which had been active prior to the pandemic. This program allows Bellingham high school students to study abroad and immerse themselves in foreign language and culture. This experience will have a major life-changing impact on the direction and individual development of the kids who are able to participate and their families. The monumental amount of work it takes to organize and travel with 16 high school students, coordinate with their families, coordinate with their German families, and organize a tour of Germany, goes far beyond the expectations of a normal high school teachers job. For this reason, I believe Liam Weydert deserves the gold star award.”
Jamie Cullop
Administrative Assistant – Carl Cozier Elementary
“Jamie was always so responsive and helpful with my kids before and after school and any change of plans, for example when my son broke his leg and needed different bus accommodations. She helped me navigate that situation which had many logistical challenges. She made our family feel cared for and supported.”
Kesia Micheletti
Special Education Teacher – Bellingham High School
“Over the course of more than a decade of academic engagement within BSD, we have had the privilege of encountering a select few exceptional educators who go above and beyond to support students who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Among them, Kesia stands out as one of the most outstanding. She exemplifies the kind of teacher who selflessly dedicates herself to the well-being of every student.”
Courtney Christensen
Teacher – Sunnyland Elementary School
“Courtney is a phenomenal teacher, she makes you feel really welcomed and appreciated in her class, her pupils really look up to her and feel cared for and listened too in her presence , she makes it a calm , friendly learning environment everybody wants to be part off . As I am a sub you never know what sort of class or situation you will be in , however Courtney has been so hospitable and creates this fun , engaging environment’ I feel totally at ease and honored to work in her classroom .
