Crestline Elementary School presents first Jerome Lewis Legacy Award

Even though he no longer walks the halls of Crestline Elementary School, Jerome Lewis's presence continues to be felt. During a faculty meeting on May 1, the first Jerome Lewis Legacy Award, an award created to honor Lewis's memory, was presented.

Lewis, who died in June 2016, was Crestline's head custodian and always known for his positive demeanor and desire to help others. The tag line for award is "Blessed and very grateful," which assistant principal Josh Watkins said is in remembrance of Lewis' typical response to those who asked how he was doing. 

The award was intended for recipients who demonstrate strong work ethic, have a joyful disposition, seek to ensure other people's needs are met before their own, have a humble spirit, serve as an encourager and inspire others to find greatness within themselves.

"If you were nominated, this was a pretty big deal," said Principal Laurie King, before showing slides listing all nominees for the award. Several nominations were received for the award, King said, and the pool was narrowed down to four finalists — Kimi Blanton, Christy Neely, Sandy Ritchey and Teresa Howell — based on number of nominations.  

This year, the first Jerome Lewis Legacy Award went to Crestline Literacy Coach Sandy Ritchey.

"I really worried last summer about how we were going to survive this year without him [Jerome]," Ritchey said. "And what I've come to realize is we haven't — he's here with us. ... I've watched you all embrace one another just like Mr. Jerome embraced us, and encourage each other."

Ritchey said Lewis "very much dwells in a lot of our spirits" and thanked everyone who nominated her. Along with a plaque commemorating the award, Ritchey received $1,000 courtesy of the Crestline PTO and a bouquet of flowers, from her husband.