Janene Frye, first-grade teacher at Columbia Elementary School, is the first recipient of “Staffulty of the Month.” (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Columbia Elementary School is recognizing both a teacher and students with exceptional qualities in their two new appreciation programs.

The “Staffulty of the Month” honor will recognize a staff member of faculty member at Columbia, Principal Jamie Hill said. The program “supports our school culture.” Administrators and Columbia PTA officers have endorsed the plan.

Each monthly winner will receive gift cards, free merchandise and commendation at a faculty meeting or teacher lunch. “Anyone can nominate, including students and parents,” Hill said. A nomination form at cespta.org/staffulty-nomination.html allows an individual to explain the reasons why the teacher deserves the honor.

The first recipient of “Staffulty of the Month” for December 2014 was first-grade teacher Janene Frye. “We had over 80 nominations for ‘Staffulty of the Month’ using our online nomination system. These nominations included teachers, front office staff, bus drivers and custodial staff,” Hill said.

Frye is a native Madisonian and an alumna of Bob Jones High School. She graduated from Athens State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She started teaching first-graders at Columbia last fall. Previously, she taught kindergarten classes at Columbia from 2005 to 2014.

She and husband Jake are parents of two daughters. In her spare time, Janene Frye enjoys church activities, exercising, reading, shopping and vacations at the beach.

In addition, Columbia has founded the “Leader of the Month” program. “It’s in full swing and off to a great start,” Hill said about the program to highlight students with exemplary behavior and academic performance. The motto is “Get caught doing something good.”

All students in grades K-6 are eligible for nomination by classroom teachers, administrators or support staff. “We select one student by grade level,” Hill said about the eight children that Columbia recognizes each month.

Leader of the Month students are featured on Columbia’s website, Twitter and Facebook. Students also receive a yard sign stating “Astros’ Leader of the Month.”