GUILDERLAND — For 38 years, the school board has recognized its best employees, nominated by peers and selected by committee. More than 400 have been honored over the years.

Five more joined the ranks last Tuesday in a televised ceremony.

“The best measure of a school are the people in it,” said Superintendent Marie Wiles at the start of the ceremony.

William Aube, a house principal at Farnsworth Middle School, was lauded by Principal Michael Laster as “essential.”

“He leads by example,” said Laster, describing Aube as “an organized taskmaster with an attention to detail that is unrivaled.”

Laster also described Aube as “adept at thinking globally and individually.”

Kimberly Buckley, a physical education teacher at Farnsworth for 20 years, “knows when to be firm but most often uses humor to diffuse a situation,” said Laster.

He went on to describe the Project Adventure program she helped run to empower 15 administrators. “Kim did this with grace, professionalism, humor, and spirit,” said Laster. He described a moment where he was scared to, literally, make a leap and he heard her voice saying, “Go ahead, jump. You’ll make it; I gotcha.”

“You helped me conquer some of my fears and I know you’ve done that for our kids on a daily basis,” said Laster.

Regan Johnson, the district’s athletic director who ran the Project Adventure program with her, said, “She pushes our staff to be the best, especially me.”

^{Recognized: Kimberly Buckley, right, smiles as she receives a handshake and plaque from Guilderland Superintendent Marie Wiles. A physical education teacher at Farnsworth Middle School, Buckley was one of five educators honored by the district last week for outstanding work. The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer}

Nora Upton started her teaching career 15 years ago as Guilderland Elementary School’s only teacher of English as a second language; the program has grown several hundred percent, its teachers mentored by Upton.

She “works tirelessly for students’ families and fellow staff members,” said Marcia Ranieri, who heads the World Languages and Cultures Department. Ranieri also said that Upton “involves students of all ability levels…Nora knows all the students by name.”

Ranieri told of one of Upton’s students who came from Romania and spoke only a few words of English the first semester. By the end of first grade, the student was telling funny stories. The student came back to thank Upton and said, “You talked to me even when I couldn’t talk back.”

Kirsten Eidle-Barkman, the school psychologist at Guilderland Elementary since 2008, is also the Instructional Support Team coordinator, a model that has proved so successful, other schools have emulated it, said Guilderland Principal Allan Lockwood.

As part of her job, Lockwood said, Eidle-Barkman “often has to deliver difficult news to parents,” which, he said, she does “in a kind and supportive manner.”

She is never ruffled, Lockwood said, and always works from a therapeutic stance. “I have complete trust in her approach,” he said.

A year ago, when the Chen family was murdered, Lockwood said, “The student body and staff had to deal with the terrifying loss of two students.” Eddy and Anthony Chen were Guilderland Elementary students.

Lockwood said that Eidle-Barkman “helped us all come to grips with the unimaginable.”

He concluded that she is “a tireless advocate for students…a trusted leader in our building.”

Regan Johnson, the director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics for Guilderland, “has both the capacity and the heart” to lead said Superintendent Wiles.

She described his “thoughtful and thorough approach that always puts students first.” Wiles also said, “His work is complex, highly visible, often political, and time consuming.”

She praised his starting a Unified Basketball team in which special-needs students “wear the Guilderland uniform.”

She also lauded his bringing health classes to Ed Frank’s Choices 301 in Altamont, which “gives students a visceral understanding of dire choices.” He has also initiated a program at the high school, “Dutchmen Committed,” to help students make their own healthy choices.

The most important highlight, said Wiles, is how much Johnson cares about kids, beyond just their participation in athletics. “He sees them as whole children,” Wiles said.

She concluded, “He is a leader among leaders.”

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Lin Severance, who hosted the event and chaired the selection committee, concluded, “This is a tradition we cherish…It makes us feel good, honors our best, and inspires us all.”