Strength in Team Staff Spotlight: Taylor Birkos, School-Age Child Care

In this biweekly staff spotlight, we will be highlighting the people who contribute to the strength of our team by making our schools and our district such a special place for students. 

Taylor Birkos, School-Age Child Care Site Supervisor, Windermere Elementary School

How do you contribute to your school/department and the school district as a whole? I run the SACC after school program at Windermere Elementary. Along with my wonderful staff, I set up crafts, games and activities for students after school and work to create a fun environment for them to enjoy.

What inspires you / motivates you in your role? I love that I get to come into work everyday and interact with amazing people. Our students and their families are wonderful and make each day really fun. I would also like to mention the wonderful staff that we have at Windermere. The classroom teachers, administrative staff, custodians and all the people who work with me after school really make it an incredible place to work. 

What is a memorable moment, or your proudest moment, in the 15 years you have been with UA Schools? For a single moment, we once had a fundraiser for a service learning project where the students were rewarded by getting to duct-tape me to a wall. It was pretty funny, and everyone got a good kick out of it. 

Both my sister and I are Windermere graduates, and my mom worked at the school as an educational assistant for 20 years. I also still have friends to this day that I met when I was a young kid at the school.  I take a lot of pride in working at and giving back to a place that has been a big impact on my life.

What brings you joy outside of work? I love to be outdoors and hit some hiking trails. My favorite places to do that would be the wilds of Alaska where my sister and her family live or Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.

If I’m stuck inside, then I like to work on my cooking chops and enjoy some delicious food.

Reflections from Jeri Zurhorst, Director of School-Age Child Care, on Taylor: Windermere SACC would not be the amazing site it is today if it wasn’t for Mr. Taylor.  Mr. Taylor has been working at the Windermere SACC site since his hire date 15 years ago.  Mr. Taylor cares about each and every student in the Windermere SACC program and has a connection with every student in the program.  Mr. Taylor’s compassion for the program, students and the Windermere school as a whole is contagious.  SACC is lucky to have Mr. Taylor as part of our team.