McKinley Charter School Support Staff John Mazzei honored with Golden Apple Award

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - The Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation and WEAU wrap up the 2021 Golden Apple Awards with a stop at McKinley Charter School. An opportunity to celebrate a member of the support staff who is described as a big brother for students. Special Education Assistant John Mazzei says his work is rewarding because he has the change to work with “strong kids with big hearts.”

As part of the support staff, John says many of the kids at McKinley come from challenging backgrounds, but they have the same dreams and same hopes that everybody else does. They just have a tougher path to get there.

“Just being there for them, being a friend, being someone who they can talk to. Someone who can give them life advice, relationship advice. How to deal with their emotions, just being that guy. I think that’s what a lot of those kids lean on me for, it that I’m probably that person for some of them, kind of like a big brother. So I just love being around them because they’re awesome kids, I mean they really are, that’s why I came here,” says Mazzei.

“He always leaves the room better than when he walked into it. He cares very deeply about the kids, they love him and he loves them and they know it because they can feel it. And he never gives up on them, he’s just a wonderful asset to our school and a great guy,” adds McKinley Special Education Assistant Nevada Franz.

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