Adams County schools honor eight classified employee of the year nominees
Eight Adams County school workers were honored for the routes, meals, classrooms and buildings that keep district life running. Carla Wesley also earned the top classified employee award.
Bus drivers, aides, custodians, cooks, secretaries and other classified employees keep Adams County schools moving long before most students notice the work. The Adams County Ohio Valley School District used its June 23 live feed to honor eight 2026 Classified Employee of the Year nominees, recognizing the people who help create the steady, positive environment students need to learn and thrive.
The district identified the nominees as Carla Wesley, Heather Tomlin, David Stapleton, Chad Newman, Melissa Michael, Sandy Grooms, Lori Grooms and Mitzi Corrill. Staff members from across district buildings joined the recognition, and each nominee was pictured with a building principal or supervisor: Wesley with Transportation Director Melissa Baker, Tomlin with West Union Elementary Principal Jeff Stricklett, Stapleton with Peebles High School Principal Ty Stephens, Newman with Peebles Elementary Principal Jessica Brewer, Melissa Michael with North Adams High School Principal Karl Boerger, Sandy Grooms with Ohio Valley Career & Technical Center Director Josh Michael, Lori Grooms with West Union High School Principal Tad Mitchell and Corrill with North Adams Elementary Principal Kyle Brewer.
The district describes the program as recognition for outstanding full-time classified staff members, including bus drivers, teacher aides, secretaries, custodians, maintenance workers, food service staff and technology support employees. In a rural district, those jobs shape the school day from the first bus stop to the final bell, handling transportation, building support, meals and the day-to-day tasks that keep campuses open and orderly.
Wesley was later named ACOVSD’s 2026 Classified Employee of the Year. The district said she had served the Peebles School Attendance Area as a bus driver and on-board instructor for 18 years, and it described a school bus as “a classroom on wheels.” Chris Harover, president of the National Bank of Adams County, presented Wesley with a $1,000 award during the celebration.
The district’s nomination window for the 2025-2026 Classified Employee of the Year closed Feb. 20. By honoring eight nominees instead of only one winner, ACOVSD put a spotlight on the support staff who keep daily school operations running across West Union, Peebles and North Adams.
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