Fox C-6 School District’s 2024 Masterpiece Award winners include Randy Gilman, a longtime employee who spent nearly his entire career in the district, and Lonedell Elementary School fourth grader Paulin Pullen, the youngest recipient in the honor’s history.
Gilman, the Fox district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education, and Pullen, 10, were among this year’s eight recipients of the awards that go to students, staff members, parents and other stakeholders who demonstrate a strong commitment to the district.
Antonia Elementary School Principal Mark Rudanovich, Seckman Elementary School Building Blocks preschool teacher Kim Prezzavento, Don Earl Early Childhood behavior specialist Dawn Amsden, Fox Middle School resource officer Mike Prusinowski and Seckman Elementary community members John and Stacy Grindell of the Arnold Athletic Association also received Masterpiece Awards.
Gilman, who’s retiring at the end of this school year, won the Superintendent’s Choice Masterpiece Award, and the other seven recipients were chosen by a committee.
District officials said 186 people were nominated for the awards.
“It shows you that there are a lot of people in our district doing great things,” Superintendent Paul Fregeau said. “It shows we are all in this together to help our kids and staff be the best they can be.”
The awards were given out on March 18, and the recipients, along with the district’s building teachers of the year and building support staff members of the year, will be honored at a dinner this month.
Superintendent’s Choice
Gilman was a student in the district from kindergarten until graduating from Fox High School in 1991, and he began working at Fox as an elementary school teacher in 1995.
Randy Gilman, Fox district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education, recieved a 2024 Masterpiece Award.
He has served as the assistant superintendent of elementary education since 2015.
Dustin Bain, the principal at Meramec Heights Elementary School, has been named the next assistant superintendent of elementary education.
Fregeau said Gilman deserved the award.
“His commitment and focus on what is best for kids is always the underlying theme for him,” Fregeau said. “He has always looked out for what is best for Fox C-6, the students and the staff.”
Gilman was part of the group visiting the district’s various schools on March 18 to give the awards to this year’s recipients.
He said about midway through the day, he was ambushed by a room full of coworkers and family members to receive his award.
“I experienced a blur of yelling, balloons and glitter poppers that stopped me in my tracks, totally surprised,” Gilman said. “Being the Superintendent’s Choice this year means a lot to me. The fact that Dr. Fregeau spent his pick on me when there are so many dedicated and worthy members of our school community is quite humbling.”
Fregeau said Gilman was flabbergasted to receive the award.
“He was humbled and appreciative,” Fregeau said. “It was a really special moment. His wife (Joy) and two kids (Keira and Jack) were there. The principals he works with were there, and if they couldn’t be there, they Zoomed in to be there.”
Gilman said he had been nominated for a Masterpiece Award several times before, but this year was the first time he received it.
Committee selections
A committee comprising community members, staff and students selected the other seven award winners.
Pullen was nominated for volunteering for the Ronald McDonald House and Pony Bird and placing wreaths on veterans’ graves.
According to her nomination letter, the fourth grader participated in a baking challenge to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home for families of seriously ill children in the St. Louis area. She also works with adults at Pony Bird, a local organization that serves people with developmental disabilities.
Pullen also lays wreaths and flags on veterans’ graves in the National Cemetery at Jefferson Barracks.
“A fourth grader worried about taking care of McDonald House and elderly people, it really warms your heart,” Fregeau said. “She is our second student and first elementary student (to win a Masterpiece). She just has a huge servant heart.”
Rudanovich, a former Fox district student, has worked in the district for 26 years. According to his nomination letter, Rudanovich “is respected by the students and staff because he leads with truth and honesty. He has included the staff in key decisions throughout his 18-year tenure as principal.”
Mark Rudanovich - Principal, Antonia Elementary
Prezzavento, a preschool teacher, was nominated by one of her students’ parent. In the nomination letter, the parent said she and her husband were worried about their 3-year-old daughter starting school because she is shy.
“Everyday Mrs. P greeted her with kind and soft words and always made her feel welcome. Not long after, my daughter was asking to go to school. I want to mention how much of a big deal this is because my daughter is now set up for success in the classroom until she graduates. Mrs. P also goes above and beyond to make sure parents are in the loop about their child’s school day with amazing communication,” the nomination said.
Kim Prezzavento - Building Blocks Preschool Teacher at Seckman Elementary (Pictured with: Dan Baker, Amy Vandevender, Sue Belleville, Judy Smith, Randy Gilman, Kelly Bracht, Kim Prezzavento, Paul Fregeau, Todd Scott, JP Prezzavento, Tammy Cardona, Curtiss Frazier, Tracy Haggerty, Travis Lintner, April Moeckel, Ryan Shreve)
The nomination letter for Amsden said she demonstrates “an unwavering commitment to the well-being and development of students.”
Dawn Amsden - Behavior Specialist at Don Earl Early Childhood (Pictured with Superintendent Paul Fregeau, left)
In the nomination letter for Prusinowski, an Arnold Police officer, he was credited with building positive relationship with students.
“His approachability, empathy and genuine concern for the welfare of our students has helped some of our most disconnected and challenged students feel that they have someone to confide in, even knowing he will still hold them accountable. Officer Prusinowski consistently engages with students in a positive and proactive manner, serving as a role model and mentor,” the letter said.
Officer Mike Prusinowski - SRO, Fox Middle School
Fox High graduates John and Stacy Grindell, whose adult children graduated from Fox district schools, are sharing a Masterpiece Award. Their nomination letter said the two are presidents of the Arnold Athletic Association and have allowed the Seckman softball team hold its annual Jerry Joyce Varsity Invitational tournament and the Fox softball team to hold its Fox JF Tournament at the association’s fields free of charge.
Stacy and John Grindell - Community Members with the Arnold Athletic Association
The two also “train, lead and employ hundreds of students and graduates of the district as umpires, groundskeepers, field maintenance workers, concession stand managers and parking lot attendants,” the nomination letter said.
Fregeau said handing out Masterpiece Awards is one of the best days of the school year.
“To read the nomination or key parts of the nomination to them and for them to hear what people said about them and see their face and know somebody noticed what they are doing to make a difference, it is hard to describe,” he said. “It is a wonderful time.”