Following a lengthy list of student and staff accolades paraded before the Mineola School Board Monday, there was one more surprise announcement.

Superintendent Cody Mize was named the Man of the Year by the Mineola Rotary Club.

The award is normally presented during the annual chamber of commerce awards banquet in March. But that event has been canceled the past two years. So the Rotary Club, in conjunction with other civic organizations, chose the school leader for its annual honor and presented it at the board meeting.

Rotary President Denise Hurst noted that it has been a challenging year for any school district, and through Mize’s leadership Mineola schools have remained open with few cases of COVID-19.

In his letter of recommendation, Assistant Superintendent David Sauer said Mize comes to work every day with a huge smile and is a natural encourager, ready to bring everyone to the table to find solutions.

He has the utmost integrity and character, Sauer’s letter said.

Hurst described Mize as cheerful and willing to help in any capacity.

He has a deep-seated desire to serve, and the Mineola graduate is committed to the community he loves.

Other accolades handed out for the evening included the students of the month, Brystal Green and Cooper Jackson, kindergartners at the primary campus; Bella Gonzalez and Andrew Vega, fourth graders at the elementary; Braxton Pool and Vanessa Anaya, sixth graders at the middle school; and sophomores Joel Smith and Sydney Van Cleave from the high school.

Teacher of the month is Tina Patterson from the middle school, and support staffer of the month is Kaye Morris of the primary school.

Martha Holmes with the Mineola Education Foundation announced that the foundation will soon be awarding $32,200 in classroom teacher grants, which brings the foundation’s total to more than $122,000 since it was formed four an a half years ago.

The awards will again be presented in person with a prize patrol through the school hallways.