Deborah Woodall Routledge, band director at Southwest Middle School, was honored Wednesday with the annual Dedication to Education award from the Lawrence Schools Foundation.
The honor is given each year to a certified staff member or paraeducator who “goes the extra mile to help kids who need it most,” according to a news release from the foundation.
The surprise award presentation came during a special eighth grade band performance Woodall Routledge was leading at district offices on Wednesday. The award includes a $5,000 check.
In nominating Woodall Routledge, a peer wrote that “Deb and her colleagues are the reason why more than 4 out of 5 Lawrence students play a musical instrument. By high school, more than half will still play in band or orchestra.”
Another peer wrote that Woodall Routledge also coaches tennis, and she has not made kids choose between sports and music.
“Kids are given every opportunity to grow in their love of music thanks to Deb’s encouragement and commitment to them,” they wrote.
Some of Woodall Routledge’s students will perform Friday along with other band students from district middle schools and the University of Kansas. Find details about the show, Brassmas, in this article.
A group of community members sponsors the Bobs Awards, which include the Dedication to Education and Excellence in Teaching Awards.
Dedication to Education Award recipients:
2007 – Jim Immel (Early Childhood Center)
2008 – Mary Ann Henry (South Junior High School)
2009 – Mary Chamberlin (Pinckney Elementary School)
2010 – Charlotte Lauts (Lawrence High School)
2011 – Lori Sinclair (Woodlawn Elementary School)
2012 – Ron Swall (Lawrence Free State High School)
2013 – Morgan Randle (Southwest Middle School)
2014 – Heather Lee (Lawrence High School)
2015 – Cara McNorton (Kennedy Elementary School)
2016 – Kim Fuller (South Middle School)
2017 – Leah Henry (Juvenile Detention Center)
2018 – Mike Harris (Sunflower Elementary School)
2019 – Jessica Rohrberg (District Wide Physical Therapist)
2020 – Baileigh Faler (Broken Arrow Elementary)
2021 – Erin McDaneld-Campbell (Free State High School)
2022 – Brandon Daley (Woodlawn Elementary)
2023 – Caleb Rahmeier (West Middle School)
If our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
