She has only worked at Sun City Elementary since the beginning of the school year, yet Tina Peterson has already turned heads and been elevated to star status.
The school custodian, known best as “Ms. Tina” to the faculty and students, wasted no time pitching in where needed, quickly becoming an MVP in the Sun City Stars family.
“Ms. Tina is the epitome of a #differencemaker,” wrote Mary Woodruff. “She is kind, thoughtful and goes the extra mile. Ms. Tina takes great pride in her work. She makes Sun City shine by paying attention to the little details that make a difference. You can find Ms. Tina working her magic all over campus. We often see her jumping in and filling in the gaps that she sees, such as helping out our extraordinary cafeteria ladies during lunch.”
As if that’s not enough, Woodruff added, “Ms. Tina’s sweet, nurturing personality is not just a bonus for the faculty and staff at Sun City, but also for the students. She makes it a point to talk to students and build relationships with them. You can find her loving on students at lunch, in the hallway or when they need an extra pep talk. Ms. Tina is such a sparkling gem and deserves all the praise and recognition.”
And that is exactly what she got when arriving one recent morning at Sun City. Peterson was caught off-guard when she was greeted at the front door by cheerleaders, a cadre of school leaders and representatives from Bossier Federal Credit Union. She was then let in on what all the hoopla was about. Peterson had been nominated by her colleagues for Bossier Schools’ final Gold Star award of the school year.
“She is always smiling and quick to ask how you are doing. My students love seeing her in the halls and can’t wait to give her hugs any chance they get!” exclaimed Stephanie May.
Brooke McArthur said, “She is a bright light in the midst of the crazy that can happen in the school.”
After being surprised as the district’s Gold Star, Peterson was crowned with a tiara adorned with stars by Sun City Principal Julia Henry, then she paraded through the halls where students were waiting with cards they made for her. As she made the last turn, Peterson was overcome with tears. Though she grew up and attended school in Plain Dealing, Sun City Elementary now has Peterson’s heart.
“The amazing and beautiful, joyful kids and co-workers are unquestionably nice and it’s an environment that I love and enjoy being at everyday I work,” she later said.
When asked why Peterson goes out of her way to be a blessing to others, she replied “It’s like helpful is my middle name. I never think twice when it comes to helping someone. I’ve always been a kind person and will continue to and I bond with the kids as they were one of my own.”
Megan Lee has witnessed that firsthand, summarizing Peterson this way.
“She makes it her personal, daily goal to befriend and lift up the children in our school. I have personally seen her take time out of her busy day to make children feel loved and important.” Lee added, “She knows every child’s name and she knows them on a personal level. She may ask them what they did over the weekend, ask them about their family life, or just check in on them to ask why they aren’t smiling that day. It is so vital and important to have people like Ms. Tina working around the children at our school. She lifts them up and gives them confidence to be who they are, and we are so very blessed to call her ours!”
Bossier Schools is also blessed to call Tina Peterson our own and add a Gold Star to her tiara.
Editor’s note: Bossier Schools wants to thank Bossier Federal Credit Union for sponsoring the Gold Star award for the past 11 years, as well as the Bossier Press Tribune for featuring every Gold Star winner since the inception of the employee award program.