Several Waukesha School District employees were honor Wednesday night by the Waukesha School Board, including Diane Brody, a custodian at Bethesda Elementary School, as the district’s employee of the month.

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Christine Hedstrom said that Brody attends to needs of Bethesda as if it were her own home. According to Brody’s nomination papers, which Hedstrom read at the meeting, she keeps the school neat, clean and safe for students. She greets staff and students in a friendly manner, creating a positive work environment. She also encourages others to take care of the school.

Also earning recognition for Bethesda was teacher Julie Rutkowski, one of two Waukesha teachers who were recipients of the 2012 Herb Kohl Foundation fellowship awards.

Julie Rutkowski, Bethesda special education teacher, thanked her coworkers for their influence.

“I believe this award really isn’t about me. It’s about all the people I’ve worked with over the past 18 years…. I’m very proud to be a teacher in the Waukesha School District,” she said. “I have worked along the most amazing, child-centered staff and administrators that there are.”

She extended special thanks to staff and families at Bethesda, who worked tirelessly to meet the needs of all children, including those with special needs, who hold a special place in her heart.

Faith Lincicum, the other Kohl fellowship recipient from Waukesha and fifth-grade teacher at Hadfield Elementary School, said she was honored to be nominated and to receive the award. The monetary reward will be going toward an afterschool program currently being developed at the school.

According to the foundation, fellowship recipients are chosen for “their superior ability to inspire a love of learning in their students, their ability to motivate others, and for their leadership and service within and outside the classroom.”

Each fellow’s school will receive a $1,000 grant.