Staff Celebrations: Donna Beasley

Remember that special staff member who made a big difference when you were in school? Maybe it was a teacher, coach, cafeteria worker or bus driver. There are so many ways school staff can make an impact on students. For many kindergartners at Boyd Elementary, one of those special people is paraprofessional, Karla Rusie.

Boyd Elementary recently recognized Rusie as a Boyd Staff Member of Distinction for her dedication to students, staff and families in Omaha Public Schools.

Rusie only recently began her career in education. She started with Boyd Elementary as a para during the pandemic in the fall of 2020. Before that, she worked in retail for 37 years,?spending the last 27 managing the alteration department at Regency's high-end dress shop, Tilly.

When Tilly’s owner retired however, Rusie saw it as a new beginning.

“You know, I’m going to do something else,” she recalled saying at the time. “I kept my mind open to possibilities and one day I saw this opportunity and I thought, you know, I can do this. I’m qualified. I have enough experience and I always love working with children.”

Rusie’s ability to nurture children and make a connection was apparent right away. After just one school year and two sessions of Next Level Learning over the summer, staff and students are singing her praises.

As part of her recognition at Boyd, staff interviewed her former students asking only, “What do you know about Mrs. Rusie?”

Kobe said, “She is very helpful when students are lost or don’t know where to go on their first day. Mrs. Rusie says, ‘Thank you and please.’”

Mason said, “I think that Mrs. Rusie is nice. Mrs. Rusie helps people. She walks around the room and looks at our papers. Then she notices our work and says, ‘That is nice!’ I want to say thank you, Mrs. Rusie!”

Alyssa said, “Mrs. Rusie is here at school with us every day. She helps me at lunchtime. Sometimes she opens my milk or if food comes in plastic and I cannot open it, she will open it for me. She is very nice. Mrs. Rusie also greets me when I come in the room. Mrs. Rusie remembers my name, too. She is very nice and kind. Mrs. Rusie can help answer my questions on the iPad. I miss her on the weekend when I am not at school. I am really glad that Mrs. Rusie is in the classroom with us.”

Adriel said, “Mrs. Rusie has a cat and she loves cats. She is a very nice person. She loves to help others, a lot. She does lots of things that are super kind. She helped me spell words correctly and other things that are important. She helps me when Miss Miranda is gone. If I spilled my milk on the floor she was the first person to clean it up. When I felt bad that I had spilled she told me it was okay. Her favorite colors are pink and purple. Mrs. Rusie has a lot of friends because she is so nice. She is nice to the kids. I love Mrs. Rusie!”

Brian said, “I just liked how Mrs. Rusie helped us. I knew I could count on Mrs. Rusie to help me. She helps with schoolwork and lunch.’

Akira said, “Mrs. Rusie is very nice and I like her as a teacher. She fixes our iPads whenever they are not working. Mrs. Rusie cheers people up when they are sad. She lets you hold a stuffed animal to make you feel better.”

Rosie said, “Mrs. Rusie is nice to me all the time. She helps when it is breakfast time. She opens my juice for me. She also helps clean up after breakfast so the room stays tidy. Mrs. Rusie helps me to do my work right. Mrs. Rusie tells me, ‘Good job!’ on my work. She also helps me to get my iPad charger on the iPad. I know Mrs. Rusie will help me if I need help.

Jenisha said, “If I felt like crying she would help me. Sometimes I felt frustrated and I tried my best. Mrs. Rusie helped me stay calm. I like that. I miss Mrs. Rusie and I wish I could see her more during the day in first grade. Thank you, Mrs. Rusie!”

For Mrs. Rusie’s recognition, Boyd Principal Briana Mcleod-Larsen wrote, “Thank you, Karla for your dedication to the students, staff and families of the Omaha Public Schools! Your talents are admired by us at Boyd and were appreciated at Dodge this summer during Next Level Learning. It’s so nice to have someone like you on our team. The word is out. You are awesome! Thank you for being you.”

From all of us at Omaha Public Schools, thank you Mrs. Rusie for making us so #OPSProud!