24-25 ESP Shining Star Award

The Shining Star Award recognizes an Education Support Professional (ESP) who shows outstanding accomplishments in one or more of the following areas:

Innovations to support day-to-day educational process
Professional achievements in his/her classification
Involvement in promoting public education in the community
Enhancement of the image of education support professionals in the Association, worksite, or community.

Purpose: The AEA Shining Star Award recognizes the contributions of Education Support Professionals to their schools, communities, and their profession. The award is presented to a member of the AEA who demonstrates outstanding accomplishments and reflects the contributions of ESP to public education.

Award: Each year, one nominee receives the AEA Shining Star Award, which includes all-expense-paid travel to the NEA Education Support Professional National Conference.

Eligibility: All current Education Support Professional members of an AEA local affiliate or bargaining unit who have been AEA members for three years as of January 15th of the award year are eligible. Nominees must be an “active” member at the time of selection as the ESP Shining Star.

All nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m., on December 31, 2024.

Nomination and Selection Procedure

Nominations: Any local, district, group, or active member may submit a nomination for the AEA-ESP Shining Star Award. The nomination should be made without the nominee knowing they have been nominated. Nominations shall have a complete data sheet, nomination letter, and qualifying information.

Selection: All nominations must comply with the nomination guidelines. The Selection Committee will review all nominations to ensure that eligibility and submission requirements are met. The Selection Committee will present its recommendation to the ESP Board President.

Criteria: Nominations are judged according to the following five criteria: Professional Practice, Member Advocacy and Association Involvement, Community Engagement, Personal Achievement, and Enhancement of ESP Image. Each of the five criteria should be addressed in a single, separate paragraph. The information should be brief but still be adequate. The Selection Committee will select the Shining Star recipient using the criteria information.

The nominee must be an ESP employee, have a minimum of five years of AEA membership, and have shown outstanding leadership at the local, state, and/or national levels. Please complete the form below for nominations. The deadline to submit nominations is December 31, 2024.

If you have any questions, contact LaToya Smitherman at latoya.smitherman@alaedu.org.

Name of Nominating Affiliate, Group, or Person*

Name of Local Association *

Name of Local Association President*

Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState

Zip Code

Phone Number*

Area CodePhone Number

Email*

example@example.com

Are you an AEA member?*

YesNo

Name of Individual You are Nominating *

First NameLast Name

Nominee's Home Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState

Zip Code

Nominee's Phone Number*

Nominee's Email Address*

Nominee's School/Worksite*

Nominee's Job Title *

Nominee's Local Association *

Nominee's Local Association President*

Nominee's Local Association President's Email Address *

Nominee's Local Association President's Telephone Number*

Is the nominee an AEA member?*

YesNo

Number of years the nominee has been an AEA member.*

NOMINATION LETTER

Nomination Letter – (Limit 5 pages maximum, 12-point type, double-spaced, 1- inch margins on all sides)

Formatting instructions: 12-point type

Double-Spaced

1-inch margins all around

Handwritten information is allowed as long as it is legible.

The nomination letter must address each of the five criteria. It should start with a paragraph that explains why your group thinks the nominee qualifies for the ESP Shining Star award. Also, please provide a short paragraph for each of the five criteria headings. Please set off each area with the criteria heading to aid Selection Committee in their reading. Please remember to be brief but thorough:

Professional Practice: (Include worksite responsibilities and professional achievements the nominee has made in his/her field; include examples of leadership, creativity, and innovation in making a difference for students and the school or workplace.)
Member Advocacy and Association Involvement: (include evidence of leadership, creativity and innovation in advocating for members, for the profession, and for public education; include how the nominee’s involvement in AEA or its affiliates contributes to professional success; evidence that the nominee is active in member recruitment and encouraging colleagues to be more involved members.)
Community Engagement: (include details on how the nominee is involved in promoting public education within the community through charitable projects and activities and examples of how that involvement has benefited students, families, and members.)
Personal Achievement: (include a description of the nominee’s personal and/or professional goals; what they have done or are doing to meet these goals; how his/her growth and goals benefit students, members and/or the community; what advice they would give to a colleague entering the profession.)
Enhancement of ESP Image: (include details of how the nominee’s activities have enhanced the image of Educational Support Professionals at the worksite, in the Association and in the community.)

Please upload the nomination letter here.*

Browse Files

All applications and optional supporting documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m., on December 31, 2024. No applications will be accepted after this deadline. Applications and supporting documentation will not be returned to the applicant therefore, it is not advisable to send originals. Good, legible copies of documentation and an original application will be sufficient for consideration.

24-25 ESP Shining Star Award Application