Ramona Endres, Educator at Athlos Leadership Academy, Awarded 2016 Distinguished Educator in Prepared Mind

In June, three educators from Athlos schools throughout the United States were chosen as recipients of the Athlos Distinguished Educator Award. Each of the three were chosen based on their excellence in exemplifying one of the Athlos Pillars of Performance: Prepared Mind, Healthy Body, and Performance Character.

Ramona Endres, first grade educator and mathematics instructional coach at Athlos Leadership Academy in Brooklyn Park, MN, was the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award for her excellence in exemplifying the Prepared Mind pillar of the Athlos model.

“Ramona is a wonderful role model for other teachers as she consistently engages her first grade students and provides a positive, trusting learning environment,” said Giselle Isbell, director of Prepared Mind.

Endres has gone above and beyond in her role as an educator this past year. During her first year as the math instructional guide, she has strived to serve as a liaison and leader for math professional development.

“As a strong collaborator with the leadership team, she is dedicated to supporting both students and teachers as they continue to learn and grow,” Isbell said.

Endres’ personal goal moving forward with Athlos Leadership Academy is to continue to develop in her math coaching role.

“This was a new role for me last year and I would like to continue to work on how I can find ways to best support our staff who teach mathematics,” Endres said.

As a part of the Athlos team, Endres says she is proudest of the people she works with — the teachers, paraprofessionals, maintenance workers, secretaries, and administrators.

“We are all here for the same reason — to help students learn and inspire them to be the best they can be in all aspects of life,” she said.

But it’s her students who keep Endres looking forward to going to work each day.

“They are so eager to learn and want to work hard and do their best,” she said. “I just love seeing their smiles and excitement when they learn new concepts throughout the day.”

When it comes to the Athlos model, Endres appreciates how the emphasis on healthy living makes the school stand apart from others.

“Having a program like this can not only help with the wiggles in class, but also give students the opportunity to take responsibility of their health,” she said. “They learn how to do so with the different activities they learn in class and can set goals to better themselves.”

For new Athlos staff, Endres has this bit of advice:

“First off, welcome to the team. Athlos is one big family, and I hope you are excited to challenge yourself with the Athlos strategies. My biggest piece of advice is to be sure to fully commit to using these strategies. Students will follow by example and will be impacted positively.”

Congratulations to Ramona Endres!