OST Champion : Rachel Raymond

Ford Elementary | Outstanding Site Staff Member

Sometimes the moments that make an out-of-school time program special are also the simplest: a warm welcome, a patient adult, and a young person being trusted to help.

That is what one parent sees in Rachel Raymond at Foxstars at Ford.

Rachel was nominated as an Outstanding Site Staff Member by a parent who described her as someone who always has a smile on her face and treats young people with kindness and respect.

Those qualities show up in the everyday opportunities Rachel creates for youth to participate and contribute. The parent shared one example involving her son and the program's snack cart. Rachel lets him help, and just as importantly, she is patient with him while he does it.

It may sound like a small moment, but those moments matter. Being invited to help tells a young person that they are capable, trusted, and part of the community. Having an adult respond with patience gives them room to learn, practice, and take ownership without the pressure to get everything right the first time.

Strong OST programs are built through relationships like these. They grow when young people are treated with dignity, when adults notice what they can contribute, and when everyday routines become opportunities for connection and responsibility.

Rachel's nomination is a reminder that impact does not always arrive through a large project or special event. Sometimes it looks like a smile. Sometimes it looks like patience. Sometimes it looks like making room beside the snack cart and saying, in effect, “Yes, you can help.”

Congratulations to Rachel Raymond, one of Colorado's outstanding OST Champions, and thank you for helping create a place where young people are treated with kindness, respect, and trust.