Staff Celebrations
Lowell APP recognizes BEX project manager as 'Star of the Week'
The following article was published in Lowell APP's newsletter "The Thursday Note."
You may ask, who is Brandy Fox and why is she our “Star of the Week”?
Brandy is a Seattle Public Schools district employee who is a Project Manager for the BEX Capital Programs department. She is an expert in construction management and building logistics.
Brandy was the district point person to make the APP move to Lincoln happen. Brandy worked tirelessly on behalf our children all summer long, rolling up her sleeves and getting dirty regularly. She attended endless meetings, many late into the night and for Brandy, no detail was too small, no task was too daunting, and no concern was too trifling.
Just read what your fellow parents have to say about their experiences working with Brandy, and then if you do happen to see Brandy in Lincoln, please do be sure to say “hi” and “thank you”! Of course, as Brandy is all set to leave on a cruising adventure with her husband on their 38’ boat in the South Pacific, you will have to act fast if you want to catch her!
Catherine Schwiebert, Lead on Classroom and Hallway Cleaning and Painting:
Brandy was key in getting the building cleaned and ready for our children. Anything we asked, she delivered. She would come in the evenings to open and close the building so that parents could clean and paint. She worked with maintenance to solve problems outside the realm of parental expertise. Brandy also coordinated with custodians so that the custodians and parents would not be in each other's way. Without Brandy to clear the way, getting the job done would have been much more difficult.
Reiko Sudduth, Co-Chair of Interior Improvements Committee:
As part of a family new to APP and public school, I was very nervous about the move to Lincoln. And, as co-chair of one of the moving committees, with no contacts at SPS and no familiarity with District policies, I started off the summer feeling more than a little lost. But I could not have been put more at ease than I was by Brandy Fox. Every time had questions or needed something -- any time of day, any day of the week -- Brandy was there by email, phone, or often in person. Many times I needed answers or instruction from somebody very quickly, and could always count on Brandy to get back to me in time to keep things on track. Brandy was tireless in her commitment to helping Lincoln be an inviting, fun and safe place for our children -- while always following procedures and meeting the District's criteria. Brandy is truly a rare gem -- passionate about her work, committed and yet extremely calm under pressure and very personable! Thank you for everything Brandy!
Kevin Boske, Chair of the Playground Committee:
Brandy was instrumental in providing the best playground for our kids. She managed to get us $13000 for the play structure and playground equipment from the district. Brandy cut through red tape at every stage of the project, without her, I’m not even sure we’d have a playground. She spent her summer walking the grounds, brainstorming and planning different options with me. She is always positive and found a solution to every problem we encountered. I cannot stress enough how necessary she was to our playground solution. Without her, I’d be lost.
Tracy Hillstrom, Co-Chair of the Interior Improvements Committee:
Simply put, Brandy had been a "force for good" during this whirlwind of a summer move. She saw parents mobilize and enabled us to make progress at the school, within the District, in whatever way allowed us to accomplish our goals. She took countless phone calls and emails, and was available day and night to open or lock the building. Weekends too, even though her personal life was clearly being impacted (not that she said a word about that). She advised us and had super suggestions, and was always thinking about the kids at every moment - she was sincerely interested in making a nice environment for them. Most of all Brandy was really fun to work with and she took everything in stride and contributed a good number of laughs along the way. We are so lucky that Brandy was involved with this project! Early on, I heard Brandy remark that "with everything these parents are doing, I just say, "get out of their way." If Brandy did get out of our way, then she was opening doors in front of us the entire time! Thank you, Brandy!