Surrounded by friends and family, Kim Patterson, center, a licensed vocational nurse and health assistant at Claremont High School, was announced as the 2024-2025 classified employee of the year at Thursday’s Claremont Unified School District Board of Education meeting. She has been with CUSD since 1992. Surrounded by friends and family Thursday, Patterson, center, could not hold back her joy.

Additionally, school officials also honored Geoff Payton, a seventh-grade science teacher at El Roble Intermediate School, was the district’s 2024-2025 teacher of the year. Payton was not present to receive his award but will be honored at a later school board meeting.

Kim Patterson is congratulated by friends and colleagues after being honored as Classified Employee of the Year by CUSD. Courier photos/Andrew Alonzo

Kim Patterson gets a big hug from CUSD School Board Trustee Kathy Archer and Superintendent Jim Elsasser.