Wylie ISD's Michele Trongaard accepted the 2019 Pinnacle of Achievement Award for her team's response to a 2016 hail storm that impacted every campus. She was one of three Achievement Award Recipients.
ASBO International honored TASBO Board Member Michele Trongaard, Wylie ISD Assistant Superintendent - Finance & Operations, with its Pinnacle of Achievement Award. They presented her the award at their Annual Meeting for her team’s response to a 2016 hail storm that impacted every campus. She titled the submission, “Is There a Rainbow After a Storm?”
Initiatives which were a direct result of the storm included:
1) LED wall packs at campuses and lighting at the stadium
2) New chiller system
3) light-weight concrete overlay in roofing
4) new roof-top HVAC units.
The repairs continued without impacting student achievement.
She stated that using a behavioral module, the district held an Energy Challenge Week just weeks after the storm, resulting in a 5% reduction in electricity consumption. From the savings, a Green Team was created in June 2016 from campus and building representatives who advocate and reinforce positive behavior modifications that equate to energy consumption reduction and earth-friendly practices.
By April 2017, the District realized a 12% reduction on electricity consumption. In August 2017, a single-stream recycling at all buildings was established. The District is still benefiting from these cost savings measures while the Green Team is still going strong.
Michele is quick to point out that this award is truly a “team” effort and a big part of that effort is fellow board member Jennifer DuPlessis, Executive Director of Operations.
