'Deserving of Honor'

When Brandi Kemp saw Gulf County School Board Chairman Danny Little enter the classroom carrying a bouquet of roses, she smiled and looked down at her desk.

"I'm so embarrassed," she said.

Kemp, an instructional aide in the Wewahitchka Middle School Bridges program, was honored as the Gulf County School Related Employee of the Year during a surprise visit to the school on Tuesday morning.

 Little joined fellow school board members, Superintendent Tim Wilder and district staff in saluting Kemp, who has worked at the middle school for six years.

"We're proud of what you've done and what you do for the kids of this school, and you're so deserving of this honor," said Wilder.

The superintendent presented Kemp with a check for $250, which he stressed was "for Brandi, not for school."

"Don't spend it on any school supplies," said Wilder. "You spend that on you and your family."

A three-member committee from an outside school district selected Kemp for the county-wide honor after interviewing her supervisors and reviewing her School Related Employee of the Year paperwork.

 Eight other school related employees from the county's public schools and administrative offices also vied for the title.

Wewahitchka Middle School principal Pam Lister busily snapped photos of Kemp and praised her can-do attitude.

"Brandi does everything that's asked of her, regardless," said Lister, running down a list of duties that included riding the school bus and helping students with everyday tasks such as eating.

Students in the Bridges program have challenges such as autism, cerebral palsy, physical handicaps and developmental disorders.

"It's a difficult job and she does it with grace and a lot of compassion," said Lister.

Now in her second year with the Bridges program, Kemp enjoys her varied routine and embraces the job's challenges.

"Some days are smooth and some days we spend all day talking them into doing their schoolwork and trying to mellow out their personalities," noted Kemp, who finds all of the work rewarding.

"I think you get back something every day. I just really enjoy it. It's a challenge, and I like challenges."

Kemp, a single mother of three, hopes to enroll in college courses that will make her better equipped to handle her students' challenges.

She finds inspiration in Bridges program teacher, Shirley Moates, whom she commended for her "big heart" and positive attitude.

Kemp, who previously worked as an aide in the school's media center, hopes to stay in the Bridges program indefinitely.

"I think I've finally found what I like," she said.