English composition assistant Mary Lynne Krebs will be awarded the Montgomery County Supporting Services Employee of the Year Award at the Champions for Children gala April 20.

Earlier this year, English resource teacher Estelene Boratenski led the effort to nominate Mrs. Krebs for the award, collecting letters of recommendation from fellow staff members, principal Carole Goodman and class of 2004 alumna Sue Bai. After reviewing the letters, “They said she was by far the strongest candidate, that there was just no question,” says Mrs. Goodman.

As composition assistant, Mrs. Krebs helps students with the writing process. Says Mrs. Krebs, “We’re not just graders of their papers, but we are supposed to be working with them from the very beginning of any writing project that they have,” helping them brainstorm, edit, etc. Composition assistants try “to help the kids realize that it’s not a one shot deal when they write,” that they have to rewrite and edit.

In her role as composition assistant, Mrs. Krebs has gone above and beyond. “She’s phenomenal. She takes her role of supporting students so seriously,” says Mrs. Goodman.

Adds Mrs. Krebs, “I like to find kids who either are really bright and aren’t being noticed or kids who are really losing it and aren’t being noticed.”

One such student was Bai, who she taught in an on-level ninth grade English class while filling a teacher shortage in the department. “She took a student who was afraid to read in front of the class,” says Bai, and turned her “into one of the most enthusiastic debaters.”

Because of Mrs. Krebs’ urging, Bai took honors the next year and AP after that, and she is currently a freshman at Georgetown University. “Mrs. Krebs not only gave me the opportunity and ability to challenge myself further but also the confidence to face that challenge.”

Mrs. Krebs’ role goes beyond her job description. “She’s done so much more than be a composition assistant,” says Mrs. Goodman. For example, when Ms. Boratenski was diagnosed with breast cancer, Mrs. Krebs organized a meal plan to bring her meals twice a week. As one of the staff members assigned to accompany students to the hospital in emergencies, she has taken the time to follow up afterward, even with students she doesn’t know. All this and more has earned her the nickname “Mama Krebs.”

After graduating college with a degree in French, Mrs. Krebs joined the Peace Corps and taught at a school in Senegal, a choice she calls “the best decision of my life.” When she returned to the states, she taught French in St. Louis and Baltimore.

Mrs. Krebs stopped teaching when she had her first child, but when her youngest entered middle school, she decided to get “back in the workforce,” at first as a substitute teacher. When she learned of the job of composition assistant 12 years ago, she came to Montgomery County to do it, and, when Blake opened in 1998, became one of the original members of its staff.