LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Josey Svoboda was nominated by her principal, Kristie Howe.

With almost 900 students at Eastlake Elementary School, Ms. Svoboda takes on the tremendous responsibility of supporting all students' emotional well-being and social learning. She has helped to establish a schoolwide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) system that acts as a Tier I behavior system. Students and staff use the same three schoolwide rules that are reinforced with posters and leadership cards Ms. Svoboda created. When students need more support, Ms. Svoboda makes behavior plans for their classrooms and works with the teachers to give them the tools and assistance they need on a Tier II level. She also presents social skill lessons to entire grades or classes. Ms. Svoboda provides Tier III services for many students, as well. She uses testing and data to create individualized goals to meet the needs of her most struggling students.

"Josey is available whenever she is needed. We only need to call her on the walkie-talkie when there's a student in crisis, and she's there immediately," said Howe.

In addition to positively supporting the development of students, Ms. Svoboda also helps teachers with their own social-emotional health and well-being. Ms. Svoboda came up with the idea to start a "Compliment Journal" for the teachers. The journal has been passed from one teacher to the next. Each teacher chooses someone to thank, write kind words about, offer encouragement, or whatever they want, and they give the Compliment Journal to that person. The recipient takes the note out and chooses the next person to write about.

"As the journal has been passed around the faculty, it has created a positive work and learning environment and made our teachers feel more appreciated and connected," said Howe. "Josey also sends out monthly newsletters to give tips and strategies on taking time for oneself and finding ways to create balance in their work and home life. Her wellness tips give our teachers and staff great ideas for finding joy and a sense of calm in their lives."

Ms. Svoboda is an essential part of the leadership team at Eastlake. Each week, the team meets to discuss the needs and challenges of Eastlake's most vulnerable students. Ms. Svoboda has a crucial voice in brainstorming ideas and coming up with solutions.

"As administrators, we rely on Josey's expertise in her field and her knowledge of how best to help our struggling students. She is always available to collaborate with the administration, teachers, and parents to support the social and emotional needs of the students at Eastlake," said Howe. "When a student is in crisis, Josey never shies away from an opportunity to help them feel regulated. She follows up with the student and teaches them strategies to help them stay focused in the future. She has a calm demeanor, and she talks the students through their thoughts and actions so they learn how to cope better with their emotions."

Ms. Svoboda is a vital part of the Special Education team at Eastlake. The large school population keeps the Special Ed team very busy. Ms. Svoboda is prompt and punctual with all the required testing she needs to do with students. She completes her portions of the IEPs and goals on time and thoroughly. When meeting with parents, Ms. Svoboda goes over the testing results in a way they can understand. She is patient when parents have questions and takes time to explain things thoroughly.

"Josey is an amazing school psychologist," said Chelsea Orton, a speech-language pathologist and one of Ms. Svoboda's teammates. "It is a privilege working with her on the SPED team. She completes her portion of evaluations quickly and thoroughly. She communicates well with parents to ensure they understand their children's IEPs and evaluation results. She ensures students do well in their classrooms by developing an amazing wellness room. Josey goes the extra mile in everything she does, between bringing treats for team members' birthdays, supporting the Sunshine social committee, and befriending all faculty and staff members at the school. We are so lucky to have Josey at Eastlake!"

Ms. Svoboda has also been the primary innovator of the school's wellness room. This new addition has positively impacted the school's atmosphere in many ways. The wellness room provides students with a quiet, calm place to go during the school day. The peaceful atmosphere allows students to relieve stress and/or frustration. Students can return to class and their school work with a calm mind. Ms. Svoboda wrote a grant for Eastlake, and with the grant money she secured, she's helping to create a faculty wellness room! She is continuously looking for ways to improve the culture and climate of her school to benefit everyone. 

Here are some comments from teachers at Eastlake:

(Robin Ashton, fourth-grade teacher)
"Josey Svoboda works diligently with our students who need extra care. She is kind and very helpful. I have several students who meet with her regularly, and I know she is making a difference in their lives. We are blessed to have such a knowledgeable and helpful psychologist at Eastlake!"  

(Leslie Steele, first-grade teacher)
"Josey is an excellent psychologist at our school! It's such a comfort as a teacher to know there is a person in our building like Josey who can assist students and support teachers with social and emotional needs. Josey is an excellent communicator who collaborates with colleagues and families with care and compassion. She brought the wellness room to our school, which has been so successful and important. Josey is great!"' 

Ms. Svoboda maintains and adheres to her position's moral and ethical standards. She is cautious with confidential student information. She uses initials to refer to students in emails to maintain their anonymity, keeps her files and sensitive information locked at all times, and doesn't share confidential information with other teachers or parents. The guidelines of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protect students and their privacy. Ms. Svoboda is an exemplary model of these guidelines in all she does. Students are safe to talk openly with Ms. Svoboda because they trust her. Teachers also feel safe sharing things with Ms. Svoboda because they know they can trust her to keep their information confidential. 

"Eastlake is very lucky to have Josey Svoboda. She is truly a LifeChanger for our students and staff," said Howe. "She is very deserving of an award that has 'LifeChanger' in the title. Josey has been the innovator of many exciting new programs and rooms at Eastlake, but it is in the lives of the individual students and teachers that she's truly changing their lives and making a difference. We are thrilled to nominate her for the LifeChanger of the Year Award."