First row: Superintendent Davidson, Jacob Hart, Brooklynn Binns,  
Back row: Board Member Braden Smith, Claire Schwarting, Tessa Stevens, Sara Linder, Board Member Allison Momany.

The Clear Creek Amana Community School District announces the February 2026 Students and Staff of the Month Honorees.

This program recognizes one student and one staff member each month from an elementary school, the middle school, and the high school for exceeding expectations.

Congratulations to our March CCA Students and Staff of the Month!

Brooklynn Binns
Oak Hill Elementary Student of The Month
Nominated by Heather Garrett

Brooklynn is passionate about doing her best in the classroom. She works hard each day, participates in discussions, and is always willing to work with anyone in the classroom as a partner. 

Brooklynn lights up any room that she walks into with her smile. Above all, Brooklynn is the kindest student. She has the biggest heart for her classmates and genuinely wants to do well. 

From the first day of school, Brooklynn has been a cheerleader for 3G. She comes in each day ready to tackle whatever we learn with her positive attitude and dedication to learning. Her kindness, genuine love of learning, and ability to make anyone smile is a cornerstone of our classroom. Most of all, Brooklynn models our expectations and is a leader in my classroom everyday. She finds the best in everyone, has compassion and empathy for any situation, and writes with her whole heart. I am happy to nominate her as an exemplary student at OHE.

Jacob Hart
Middle School Student of The Month
Nominated by Alycia Miskle and Jen Fox 

Jacob consistently strives to know more and to further his learning.  He actively participates in our Building Thinking Mathematics Classroom by explaining his reasoning while also listening to the reasoning of his partners.  He does not settle with his learning, rather he seeks to collaborate with other groups and understand how they got to their answers. 

Mrs. Fox noted that she has has lunch duty twice a week and Jacob's kindness and respect of adults, and his peers, is unmatched. 

In class, Jacob consistently goes out of his way to include all students in his group and holds them to high standards.  He is patient, kind, and demonstrates consistently demonstrates leadership qualities.  

Jacob is deserving of Student of the Month based upon his pursuit of academics and his model student behavior.  Jacob embodies what it means to be a leader, and a Clipper. 

Jayce Norpel
High School Student of The Month - All-State Jazz
Nominated by Chris Copeland and Sam Bills

Through his participation in music, Jayce exemplifies hard work and dedication. He is a talented percussionist, participating in the auditioned Wind Ensemble all four years of high school, this year as the principal player. He has gone above and beyond, choosing to perform with multiple honor bands his senior year, including the Iowa State Honor Band, UNI Honor Band, and University of Iowa Honor Band all in consecutive weekends. These honor bands involve learning challenging music quickly on many different percussion instruments. He has also auditioned for many honor bands, including the SEIBA High School Honor Band and the Iowa All-State Band, putting in many hours of practice and preparation.

In the Clipper Marching Band, Jayce was the center snare player this year, a critical role in helping keep everyone together. He played synthesizer in the front ensemble the two years before that, showing strong leadership qualities in each of those years.

Jayce has shown significant growth and skill in the jazz department. He has played piano in the high school Jazz Ensemble for the last three years, playing multiple solos, including a feature tune this year. Perhaps most impressive of all, Jayce has auditioned for the Iowa All-State Jazz Band twice on vibraphone, a different instrument than he plays in jazz band, and been selected both times. The Iowa All-State Jazz Band is an elite group made up of the very finest high school jazz musicians in Iowa, so this is quite an accomplishment. He will perform with this group in May, as part of the annual Iowa Bandmasters Conference in Des Moines. 

We are very proud of Jayce for all his hard work in the Band department and beyond!

Tessa Stevens
Clear Creek Elementary Staff of The Month
Nominated by Megan Johnson

I would like to nominate Tessa Stevens, a 3rd grade teacher who consistently goes above and beyond her classroom responsibilities to positively impact our school community.

Miss Stevens is deeply committed to creating meaningful opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom. This year, she took the initiative to start an elementary student council, giving younger students a voice and the chance to develop leadership skills. Through this program, students have learned about teamwork, responsibility, and service. One example of their impact was a winter can drive organized by the student council. Students created posters to advertise the event and even visited classrooms to collect donations. This project not only helped families in need but also taught students the value of community service and compassion.

In addition to leading student council, Miss Stevens dedicates her time each spring to helping with the building yearbook, ensuring that students and families have a special way to remember the school year. 

Her willingness to contribute to school-wide activities demonstrates her dedication to making our school a positive and connected community.

Many students rave about Miss Stevens and the positive, supportive environment she creates. She builds strong relationships with her students and inspires them to be confident, kind, and engaged learners.

Claire Schwarting
Clear Creek Amana Middle School Staff of The Month
Nominated by Sara Conrad

She is always willing to help with anything in the building and for anyone.  She has helped me tremendously this year, and I cannot thank her enough.  She has great ideas for improvement and is very innovative when it comes to helping meet student needs. 

Claire always has a smile on her face and is always kind and caring to everyone.  She goes out of her way to help her students in any way she can.  She wants the best for them and she is over the moon excited and happy when they succeed. She puts her whole heart into her job. 

Sarah Linder
Clear Creek Amana High School Staff of The Month
Nominated by Thad Barker, Jackie Clubb, Shelly Ealy, Trey McAleer, Chad Streit, and Nancy Tornblom

For several years now, Sarah has served as the representative for the special education department on the building leadership team (BLT) at the high school. As most people in the district know, our department has been under scrutiny over the last couple of years. As the “leader” of our department, Sarah has done an incredible job of guiding us through this temporary storm. Due to her leadership, our department is stronger than ever. Sarah has taken on this leadership role on top of the ever-difficult job of being a special education teacher. The job of a special education teacher is demanding and challenging, and Sarah handles it with calm and compassion. Our department is in a good spot and will continue to improve with Sarah’s ability to lead.

Sarah conducts her work at Clear Creek Amana High School with the highest amount of integrity. She deeply cares about her students and their success. Sarah is also a cheerleader for CCA, never missing out on an opportunity to display her school spirit. Our building is a better place because of Sarah Linder.