Position: Custodian
School: White Sands Middle School
School District: Las Cruces Public Schools
City, State: White Sands Missile Range, NM
Music that Describes Daniel
Daniel Santome was nominated anonymously.
"Mr. Santome started as a custodian at our school, which is not easy. We are not your typical school. We have DD-pre through 8th-grade students. Mr. Santome stepped up to the challenge of being our only night custodian and has done a fantastic job. He never complains. He is always right where he is needed and always goes above and beyond. But this is not a nomination for Mr. Santome as a custodian. He is much more than that," said the nominator.
"At the beginning of this year, the coach for most White Sands Middle School sports chose a different direction in a different city. In our small community, finally getting to play on your school's sports team is a big deal, but finding a coach is challenging. Due to our school's community (being on a military base and size), we have special circumstances," said the nominator. "Our district allows students to play in 8th grade; at White Sands, we are allowed to play both 7th and 8th graders to have enough players to create a whole team. We then compete as a B squad. Mr. Santome heard of the situation with the coach, and without hesitation, he stepped up. On top of his busy work schedule and having a family of his own, he did not want the students to lose out on their season. We were all very grateful, and you might think it would end there- that this would be the premise of my nomination. But, yet again, there is more."
"Mr. Santome showed up! But again, he went above and beyond for our little volleyball team. Some of these girls had played together last year. I cannot remember the actual stats, but these girls worked hard. Unfortunately, however, they had more losses than wins. Many of them felt it, and as things do with young girls, it affected their self-esteem and love of sports. Luckily, when the season rolled around this year, many felt they would give it a second chance. That is where Mr. Santome comes in," said the nominator.
"This was an underdog story. He worked with the girls every single weekday. He taught them fundamentals and plays. He found their strengths and put them in positions where they were an asset to their team, something nobody else at this level was doing. He encouraged our girls to work hard and to be brave enough to try and grow. Little by little, these girls turned into a winning team! I would love to be able to tell you this little team won it all in the tournaments, but unfortunately, that was not our ending. However, this team was given more than that because of Coach Santome. He preached good sportsmanship and led by example. He pushed the girls to work hard, and he worked hard for them as well. He held them to a standard that is not the norm for our district, but he also displayed that standard in his own work," said the nominator.
"So, as I close, I will say Mr. Santome is everything you seek. He has made a beneficial difference in the lives of students. He has been a leader. He is kind and has morals and ethical standards that we don't quite see as much anymore, and he goes above and beyond," said the nominator. "Not only did Coach Santome step up for volleyball, but he has already committed himself to our girls' basketball team and the boys' basketball. Our student-athletes are very lucky to have a coach with Coach Santome's knowledge, but also his heart."