Community Corner
UPDATED: D46 Superintendent Recognized By Military Support Group
District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll received an award from her assistant Lourie Shipley. who is in the Reserves, from a volunteer group that recognizes employers who support those in the military,
Lourie Shipley, assistant to the superintendent in District 46, had 11 years of active service in the Army but needed nine more years to be eligible for retirement benefits. She decided to seek the advice of her boss, Superintendent Ellen Correll, as to whether she should re-enlist in the Reserves.
"It was not going to be an easy process," said Shipley. "I had to pass a test and lose 30 pounds. Between the studying and training, it would end up taking three months."
Correll not only supported Shipley's idea, she walked with her during lunch hours and continued to encourage her to reach her goal.
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"Ellen has been great. She brought her energy to helping me and I could not ask for a better boss," said Shipley.
Because of the superintendent's efforts to support Shipley, Correll has been recognized by the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The award was presented to Correll at the July 20 school board meeting.
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Correll has also assisted Shipley in returning to school to complete her college degree.
According to the website at www.military.com, the ESGR "is a DoD agency that promotes public and private understanding of the National Guard and Reserve in order to gain employer and community support. ESGR is comprised of a community-based volunteer network of over 4,500 members, who serve on 54 committees (in every state, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), implementing employer support programs within their local communities."
With more employees serving in the Guard and Reserves, employers must find a way to support those employees and cover their work while they are gone. Correll was recognized for giving such support to Shipley.
The www.military.com site states that today, "in both manpower and force capability, the Reserve Components comprise nearly half of the total armed forces."
CORRECTION: The original headline of this story incorrectly stated that the award came from the military, when it comes from a volunteer group that recognizes employers supporting their employees who serve in the military. Patch regrets the error.
