When the news came that Zona Gale Burkhead had been chosen as the Lee County School District 2009 Support Person of the Year, there were many

parades, of different fashions, to celebrate the high honor.

Burkhead, who lives in Lehigh Acres, is the Media Center assistant at Bayshore Elementary School, and has been with that school for 38 years. She’s beloved to staff, administration, parents and students, so it was no surprise how much celebration went on to mark the honor, said Principal Lynn Herrell, who was once a principal in Lehigh Acres.

The Media Center where she works is full of flowers, balloons and congratulatory cards, and there was a flood of e-mails from those excited about the news.

“I found I won this on a Friday morning, when a whole entourage first came in, 15 or 20 people,” said Burkhead. Principal Herrell, along with School

District Superintendent Dr. James Browder, and members of the committee that decides who gets the honor were part of that first parade.

“Then it so touched my heart that at least 15 classes paraded through, they were so excited.”

That wasn’t all. She then went to the cafeteria, where she got a big congratulations from all the students.

“Those kids went ape, hollering and clapping. That also touched my heart.”

“Zona Gayle is a stand-out employee,” said Herell. “When I received the mail to nominate someone for this honor, there was no question it was her. Our

media center has Zona’s love and touches everywhere, she makes it inviting.

“And when children need help, she’s right there,” she said.

“I started working here in August of 1971,” said Burkhead. She started assisting with physical education, worked in kindergarten classes, with

emotionally disturbed children and now is in the Media Center.

“I love working with children, being around them and learning what makes them tick. I also like seeing how they think. If you see how children think you can

often come up with a way to help them if they have an academic problem,” she said.

She also thinks education should be fun, and came up with the wildly popular “Discovery Table” in the center.

The table is a mix of different “explorable” items, including a chunk of the old Edison Bridge, cow teeth, a hog’s jaw, snakeskin and more, with light-able magnifying glasses set there to help the kids discover the items.

“The kids love it,” said Burkhead. “Now they’re even brining things in.”

In a written statement from Joe Donzelli of the School District, he singled out some of the reasons she was chosen for the honor. He noted that in her

years in education, she has learned to make learning fun by entertaining students with her storytelling abilities, often creating a little rhyme, song or drawing to successfully make sense of the lesson at hand. She has worked hard to create an attractive, well-organized learning environment for the entire school. Her efforts help students find an inviting place where they can read and expand their literacy skills.

The school had to reduce its staff last year and one of the positions lost was its media specialist. Donzelli said Burkhead stepped up and she’s

meeting the challenges head on. She took on additional responsibilities and is running the media center all on her own.

She even reaches out to the classrooms, working with teachers to see what lessons are being taught so she can identify books that will enhance those

efforts, he said.

“This was a win for all of Bayshore Elementary,” said Herrell.

Burkhead is a resident of Lehigh and an active member of her church, First Baptist Church of Alva. She’s a native Floridian, born in Kissimmee.

On Feb. 10, Burkhead will receive her official award at a school board meeting, and it doesn’t stop there. “She’ll then compete at the state level, and we all think she should be the state winner or representative,” Herrell said.