A Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. employee has received a prestigious award for her service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of Health Services Kelli Thompson has been named to the Circle of Corydon. Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, presented her with the award at the Bartholomew Consolidated School Board meeting on Monday.
Walker said the honor was issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb. The award pays tribute to early Indiana leaders who gathered in Corydon — the state’s first capital — to adopt the first state Constitution. The award honors those who, like these founders, “have made remarkable contributions to the betterment of Indiana and its people.”
The state senator thanked Thompson for her service to BCSC families, employees, and “educational excellence in our fair city.”
“Although there are many students and parents who wish to congratulate you on this award, the genesis of it is really from your peers,” said Walker. “It is those you work with, those you inspire, those that have seen your sacrifice, those that have seen you work above and beyond the call. There are leaders who fulfill the role of leadership, and there are those who are inspirational leaders. And others follow that example.”
Thompson said she was humbled by the award, which was “quite a surprise.”
Superintendent Jim Roberts got choked up as he commended her hard work.
“Looking back over the last couple of years, we’ve all been through quite a bit,” he said, “and Kelli was the leader for us in terms of helping us just kind of manage all this stuff … the decisions that we had to make with COVID-19 and just so many other things that affect our kids.”