To Whom It May Concern, March 20, 2017

Helena Jankowski has worked for the past three summers at the Battle
Creek Public Schools Outdoor Education Center in the Summer Program.
This program is an integral part of the BCPS Summer School Program.
Students from Kindergarten to 4th grade attend one 1/2-day, each week,
for the duration of the Summer School Program, which is usually 6 weeks
long. They spend time learning in and about the out-of-doors. Besides
their experiences learning in the out-of-doors, they have the chance for
recreation, which includes swimming in Clear Lake.

The students attending the program come from a very diverse population
in an urban school district and are arranged in grade level, class-sized
groups, with each class arranged usually by the students educational
needs. Some of the student needs would include: speech needs, special
needs and English language learners, as well as, students who are not at
their grade-level. Each class group is assigned an Instructor and one or
two HS Counselors when they attend the program at the OEC.

Helena was hired as a High School Counselor her first year, in 2014. But,
for the past two summers, she has returned to the program, in the
Instructor position. In the Instructor position, it was her job to instruct
and direct the group, taking care of the details of keeping the group
together for their experience at the OEC. This would include dealing with
behavior issues utilizing a set behavior management program that assists
the students in identifying unwanted behavior and positive ways to
correct their own behavior. She was required to supervise not only the
students, but also to mentor the HS Counselors, especially since some of
them were working the program for the first time.

Helena worked well in both capacities, as a leader for the students and a
mentor for the HS Counselors. Her enthusiastic personality made it fun
for the students and easy for the younger staff to respect her in the
leadership role, even though she was not much older than most of them.
Helena was very adept at doing her job with very little supervision.
I could rely on her to take on any task that I put forth, even if it was a
last minute request.
Our choice in hiring and rehiring her was due to her genuine regard for
hard work and cheerful demeanor, as was demonstrated during her first
year working the program. That is why she was asked to return the
second two summers in a leadership role as an Instructor. She is a very
capable young woman, who can be relied upon to do her job. If she is
unclear about things, she is willing to ask for help to clarify her task. She
steps up readily when asked for volunteers to do extra work.

Working with students from the various age groups and different levels of
need can be challenging, especially in an outdoor setting, where constant
monitoring is needed. She handled her responsibilities with dedication,
resourcefulness and perseverance, keeping the students safe, engaged
and having fun in the out-of-doors. Her manner in working with students
demonstrated great concern for their learning experience, as well as, their
sense of well-being. She was very adept at handling the challenge of
students who were having a difficult day.

These two positions also required teamwork. Each day, Helena worked
with a new combination of staff. She was respectful of the other staff as
they worked together for the day. Her style of leadership is professional,
but full of fun and enthusiasm. She commanded respect from not only
the students she worked with, but also the other staff in the program.

Helena has been a great asset to our staff for the past three summers. I
am sure she would take on any endeavor with the same devotion and
dependability, as she has working here in the OEC Summer Program, and I
hope you allow her this opportunity.

Respectfully,

Pat Erwin
OEC Summer Program Coordinator