RICK’S BOOK BRIGADE SPRING 2021 WINNER

Congratulations to the April 2021 Rick’s Book Brigade Classroom!

Susan Edmundson 2nd Grade Class of Allen Creek Elementary in the Marysville School District. 

Each Student will receive a brand new book to keep. The Classroom will get a selection of books to keep and use in future years.

You can nominate a classroom for our next drawing.  

We want to promote reading for the Elementary Students of Snohomish County.

Please nominate a classroom who would benefit from some reading material.

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Rick’s Book Brigade

Rick’s Book Brigade  

Rick Merrill wanted to promote reading for the Elementary Students of Snohomish County.

Twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall, we selected an Elementary classroom to donate books. There were books for each child to take home and a selection to remain in the classroom for continued use.

These are the Winners of Rick’s Book Brigade

Spring 2021 Winner

Fall 2020 Winner

Spring 2020 Winner

The Merrill Law Library is the continuing saga of the Book Brigade.

When Rick decided to retire, the decision was made to update the name and the frequency of the donation of books to classrooms in Snohomish County. Be sure to follow along with the future winners.

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Welcome to Attorney Logan Merrill

Welcome Attorney Logan Merrill.

We are happy to inform you that Rick’s son, Attorney Logan Merrill, has come to work for Rick. He will be focusing on Auto Accident Personal Injury cases.

EDUCATION

Logan Graduated from Lake Stevens High school in 2012. After which I played baseball at Saint Martin’s University for one year. I Graduated from Central Washington University in 2017 with a major in Criminal Justice. I then moved to Providence, Rhode Island where I attended Roger Williams University School of Law, from which I graduated in May of 2020. 

INTERNSHIPS

I interned here, at the office, in the summer of 2019. In Spring of 2020, I interned with the legal department at Gilbane Building Company in Providence, Rhode Island.

PROFESSIONAL GOALS

Work as hard as I can for our clients to give them the best representation possible.

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2019 Educator of the Month Winners

2019 Educator of the Month Winners

Rick Merrill presents the 2019 Educator of the Month award to outstanding educators in Snohomish County.  The recipient receives a plaque and $500 to help defray miscellaneous expenses for the classroom.

The Law Offices of Rick H. Merrill has been a part of the Snohomish County community since 1994.  It is important to Rick to support our neighbors, local businesses and schools.  Rick partnered up with local radio station KXA 1520 am to sponsor a local educator each month.  

Rick Merrill is recognizing our educators for their hard work and sacrifices. Who demonstrate their care and commitment to each generation of children.   Winners are presented a plaque donated by Awards Service, Inc., a great big check to display, and $500 to help defray miscellaneous costs for the classroom.

2019 January Educator of the Month Liz Panagos of Granite Falls School District.

Open Doors Program has been a solid place for Snohomish Counties homeless, and unengaged youth.  Liz and the rest of the staff with the help of the community help to shape and give second chances of success to students that we’re failed by traditional education systems, or had issues of homelessness, young parents, or abuse. 

Every Monday they have pancakes and play games, while they do their homework.  This reminds them about simple happiness and the fulfilled sense of accomplishment for completing educational goals. 

Nominated by Aaron

2019 February Educator of the Month Leslie Waldorf of Lake Stevens School District.

2019 February Educator of the Month Leslie Waldorf of Lake Stevens School District.

She is an incredible teacher that not only makes instructional decisions to support and include each student, but she creates genuine relationships that build classroom community and resilience in students. To this day she remains in contact with previous students giving them advice or even contributing to their college tuition.

This year has been incredibly challenging for her due to the loss of a student over the winter break. Not knowing what to do in this situation, she has gone above and beyond to ensure that her students are heard and get enough support to navigate this traumatic experience. Not only is she helping her students, but she continues to keep in touch with the family; even creating a memento book with letters from the students.

She is genuine, giving, and most of all, creates lifelong relationships with her students that positively impact them even after they exit her class.  

Nominated by Brianna

2019 March Educator of the Month Stacey Wartenbee of Everett School District.

2019 March Educator of the Month Stacey Wartenbee of Everett School District.

Mrs. Wartenbee teaches 2nd grade at Lowell Elementary in Everett and has done so for the past 10 years. She was my daughter’s first grade and second grade teacher. Now she is the 2nd grade teacher for my son.

Mrs. Wartenbee is kind, caring, dedicated, and supportive of all children in her classroom. She is always looking for resources for the kids, offering to give them classroom supplies, raised funds to purchase each child in the class a new book every month, reached out for a grant to get updated equipment for her students, and routinely reaches out to parents to check in and ensure kids needs are met at home as well.  Mrs. Wartenbee maintains good contact with parents and provides updates daily for the children.

This year she has a Russian speaking student. She continually engages with him using her phone translation services. That child has made progress in his spoken English that I think is mostly impacted by her patience, kindness, and dedication to that child.

Mrs. Wartenbee volunteers at each school event, helps coordinate the yearly play, and is involved in the PTA. She is always positive and takes on these tasks with grace.  I certainly feel she is an incredible human being with a heart of gold. She is well deserving of educator of the month. 

Nominated by Rachel

2019 April Educator of the Month Sheena York of Marshall Elementary School in the Marysville School District.

2019 April Educator of the Month Sheena York of Marshall Elementary School in the Marysville School District.

Sheena is a mother of two young children, who teaches 2nd grade. She recently completed her Masters in Science for Curriculum and Instruction, all while conducting a happy,healthy and exciting classroom. She will go the extra mile with her time and own expense to make sure her kids have the needed tools to succeed.

Ms. York is one of the most dedicated and caring teachers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She goes above and beyond for every student. She goes out of her way to not only know what each student needs but what she could be doing to better their education and experience.

She researched different chairs styles to accommodate the various learning styles children need.

Sheena has worked since she was 15 yrs old. Supported two kids while attending school. She has tutored college students on her own time. She always has time to help a friend. Never forgets birthdays or special occasions even if you are not an immediate family member. Also has obtained her master’s while raising her babies, purchasing a home and working.

Sheena is a compassionate and loving teacher. Her choices to teach the underprivileged youth have come as a cost to her own but she does not let that impede her desire to help offer support to those that need it most. This teacher is always there to greet you with a smile and her positive outlook is infectious.

Sheena demonstrates to students how to treat others fairly and is a friend to all. I admire her work and ethics in teaching students strong morals and how to make learning fun and interesting.

Sheena is a very dedicated teacher that loves her students and is always willing to put forth extra including out of her own pocket for the success of her students.

Sheena is very inspiring not only to her students but also other teachers. She strives to create an innovative classroom and learning environment. She is constantly searching for new ways to obtain the utmost in educating.

2019 April Educator of the Month Cheryl Anderton of the Twin City Elementary in the Stanwood School District.

2019 April Educator of the Month Cheryl Anderton of the Twin City Elementary in the Stanwood School District.

She is a highly capable 4/5th grade teacher and goes above and beyond to make sure these kids get a great education, have lots of field trips to put their learning into action.  They are all involved with helping the community doing park clean up. They also help college students that are doing internships with the parks department, to develop ratings for the hikes for people with kids to know the obstacles and difficulty level.

She spends her own money on books to make sure all the kids in her class have what they need to do the work. She has a school class web page that her and the class developed and she emails parents all the time to keep everyone engaged and on the same page.

She has the patience of a saint! Highly gifted kids can be overwhelming and she is always so calm.  I wish every kid had a chance to have a teacher like her to encourage them.

Nominated by Christina.

2019 May Educator of the Month Katy Trapp of Lakewood High School.

2019 May Educator of the Month Katy Trapp of Lakewood High School.

I am writing to nominate a very passionate music Director at Lakewood High school, Mrs. Katy Trapp for Educator of the Month. Mrs. Trapp has been the Lakewood High School Music Teacher since 2008 and she directs the Music Appreciation class/Piano Techniques, LHS Band, Concert Choir, the LHS Jazz Choir, ‘Swingbeat’, the LHS Jazz Band, ’11th Avenue’.

Mrs Trapp is an inspiration to her students, helping students feel successful with their instrument or vocal abilities. She increases everyone’s desire to continue with music throughout their high school career. She makes a positive difference in the lives of all her students while motivating, challenging and encouraging them to be more confident in the music they make.

For the past 10 years, she has managed to take LHS Band, Jazz Choir and recently the Jazz Band to trip Disneyland to perform in the park’s parade, perform on stage and have a 90-minute workshop with Disney professionals. She does all the planning and negotiations, arrangements for the transportation, hotel, and food while keeping the cost for each student under $1,000. Her dedication to this trip takes long hours and many months of planning.

Last year the 3-year-old LHS Jazz Band, ‘11th Avenue’ won the largest division at the International 44th Annual Pleasant Hill Jazz Festival in Springfield Oregon!

As students, we learn the value music and everything that goes into it, of striving to become better musicians and prepare ourselves for a high level of performance. She also teaches us how to perform with passion and commitment.

Mrs. Trapp helps spark a desire for students to continually improve their musical skills and at the same time, also make a positive environment by creating a family love within the music program.

Thank you,

Katelynn C. A student in the Wind Ensemble band, Jazz band, and Jazz Choir.

2019 November Educator of the Month Scott Miller of Centennial Middle School.

2019 November Educator of the Month Scott Miller of Centennial Middle School.

Scott Miller is a selfless individual who always puts his students first. 

A few years ago he and my youngest son, Conner started a gardening club and school garden at Centennial Middle School to bring to young students the ideas of healthy living and sustainability practices.  This fledgling idea has taken root and is growing to include outside community support. 

Mr. Miller inspires youth and adults to be more than they think they are and he is always giving of his time, energy and enthusiasm for his students!

Nominated by Kim M.

2019 December Educator of the Month Lucci Fonseca of Pinewood Elementary School.

2019 December Educator of the Month Lucci Fonseca of Pinewood Elementary School.

Ms. Fonseca has been teaching for more than 15 years in the district, assisting the English language learners students in the district. She also supports the Spanish speaking families at her school, supports the  staff and Principal with family events, interpreting and translating when she has a chance.

She also shares her talent with families in multicultural events, and encourages students to share their heritage, either dancing, singing or doing some kind of parent event.

She lives in Seattle and has been driving every day back and forth to Marysville to see her students and families.

She deserves to be the Educator of the month because she always gives more than her job description. She is well prepared and her expertise as a Teacher is gladly appreciated in our district.

Now Ms. Fonseca is coaching other new teachers that will be teaching to non English speaking students. She has a great personality, always happy and welcoming to all families. We love to have her in our district.

Nominated by Wendy M.

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2015 Educator of the Month Winners

January 2015 Educator of the Month Winner- Sarah Leighow of Northshore Christian Academy

2015 Educator of the Month Winners

Rick Merrill presents the 2015 Educator of the Month award to outstanding educators in Snohomish County.  The recipient receives a plaque and $500 to help defray miscellaneous expenses for the classroom.

The Law Offices of Rick H. Merrill has been a part of the Snohomish County community since 1994.  It is important to Rick to support our neighbors, local businesses and schools.  Rick partnered up with local radio station KXA 1520 am to sponsor a local educator each month.  

Rick Merrill is recognizing our educators for their hard work and sacrifices. 

January 2015  Educator of the Month Winner- Sarah Leighow of Northshore Christian Academy 

Sarah Leighow is a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Northshore Christian Academy in Everett. Mrs. Leighow goes above and beyond for the children and parents.  

Her love of the children and teaching shows in all the details such as correspondence with the parents and keeping them involved with the children’s lessons and day to day activities.  

She shows such respect and love for the children.  We think she is the best teacher out there!”

Ms. Leighow was nominated by a student. 

February 2015 Educator of the Month Winner is Kathleen Vigil of Immaculate Conception Our Lady of Perpetual Help

February 2015 Educator of the Month Winner is Kathleen Vigil of Immaculate Conception Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Kathleen Vigil is a 3rd grade teacher and is a credit to her profession.  She is willing to go the extra mile for her students. Her leadership of her students is a credit to her professionalism and her religion.  

She is willing to take extra steps to ensure that her students excel in life and academically.  Each Sunday she is a visible presence at the 10:00 mass at Immaculate Conception Church as an usher with her husband, and always has a smile on her face and an encouraging word for each of her students inside and outside the classroom. 

I am proud to say that she has been a positive influence on my daughter and each of the students that she has taught. 

Ms. Vigil was nominated by a parent.

March 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Kathleen Wilde of the Marysville School District

March 2015  Educator of the Month Winner Kathleen Wilde of the Marysville School District

Chief Kathleen Wilde, USN(RET) is in her third year of teaching as the Naval Science Instructor for the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Program (NJROTC) for the Marysville School District. 

Since her retirement from the U.S. Navy, she has been my teaching partner. In her first three years, she has established herself as a dynamic teacher and mentor for the students in our program as well as the rest of the students she comes in contact with. Chief Wilde inspires and challenges our students who represent all of the high schools in the Marysville School District. She is energetic and personable. Chief Wilde is very good at engaging students with critical thinking skills about course curriculum and current events. She provides sage advice and counseling to all students about career opportunities in the military services and civilian sector educating our students on skills needed for post high school endeavors.

In addition to her teaching duties, she coaches our extracurricular 3 drill teams and 2 color guards. Two of the drill teams and 1 color guard earned invitations to the NW JROTC Drill and Rifle Conference Regional Championships in March at MT Tahoma HS competing against other JROTC Programs representing all services from Oregon and Washington. Our color guards provide honor guard services throughout Snohomish County and the Puget Sound Area.


Chief Wilde has rapidly established herself in the district and NJROTC Program as a teacher and mentor. The last two years, Marysville NJROTC Unit has been designated a Distinguished Unit by the US Navy, an award reserved for the top 20% of the over 500 Navy JROTC Units around the world. Chief Wilde has my strongest recommendation for your Teacher of the Month Award.”

Ms. Wilde was nominated by a fellow colleague.

April 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Scott Moberly at Arlington High School

April 2015  Educator of the Month Winner Scott Moberly at Arlington High School

Mr. Moberly is the Drama teacher at Arlington High School. 

The ability of a teacher or coach to excite and encourage young people to greatness is what I want my kids to experience. Mr. Scott Moberly has done that and then some. 

I have a freshman daughter at Arlington High School who until this past September had never heard of Mr. Moberly. As an elective she took his Intro. to Drama class. Being 1 of only 2 freshman in the class had my 14 year old “nervous as hell”. With a push here, a nudge there, 1 month into the class Mr. Moberly had convinced her to try out for the spring musical. Well, as they say in show business, the rest is history. LOL!

The success is burning a fire of enjoyment. The enjoyment is fueling her confidence. Her new found confidence is pushing her to work and strive for more. She’s now looking for vocal lessons. Her and some cast mates are looking at summer theater groups. 

She received an A in the first drama class and is taking it again this semester. She’s already signed up for Advanced Drama next year.” 

My background may not be in the Arts. But as a retired Army Captain and helicopter pilot, and a basketball coach of almost 30 years I can tell when a leader has their “act” together. 

Mr. Moberly teaches 5 classes of drama/day, directs 2 huge productions/year, oversees a drama club recognized enough to take trips to New York and Ashland every other year, has kids banging down his door to get involved, coordinates the non casted” students in stage crafting and lighting and production. 

After minutes of being around him one can tell he does this for the love of theater…and the love of the kids.

Mr. Moberly was nominated by a parent.

May 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Dana Krsnadas of Marysville Getchell High School.

May 2015 Educator of the Month Winner  Dana Krsnadas of Marysville Getchell High School.

Ms. Krsnadas is a teacher of marketing classes along with the DECA advisor and helps students run the Charger Station. 

Below are the multiple entries that we received 

“Ms. Krsnadas runs our clubs and teaches us skills that will help us be successful in the future” Adie H.

“Ms. Krsnadas deserves this award because she’s always hard working and has classes that can help students find a better career.  She also runs the student store and an organization called DECA” Jackie H.

“Ms. K deserves this because she is the best DECA advisor and loves all of her students!  She gets to know everyone personally and genuinely cares about our future!” Kristin N.

“Ms. K deserves this because she is always there for her students and cares for all her students.  She is a great teacher” Kaitlin S.

September 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Lisa Curtis of Preschool Director at Ebenezer Lutheran Church

September 2015  Educator of the Month Winner Lisa Curtis of Preschool Director at Ebenezer Lutheran Church

Lisa Curtis is the Director & Teacher at Ebenezer.  She, as well as the other teachers, Anya & Tammy, have been keeping this wonderful school alive for many years.  Lisa makes a very low wage and they haven’t had raises in over 5 years. This is a not-profit Christian based school.  Lisa has worked hundreds of extra unpaid hours over the years. Her 3 boys & husband have also volunteered many hours. She also puts on summer camps at no pay for her.  The school has struggled financially for almost all years while still offering scholarships. She is a wonderful kind-hearted woman who really deserves this acknowledgement!”

October 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Jenny Granger of Emerson Elementary in Snohomish School District

October 2015 Educator of the Month Winner Jenny Granger of Emerson Elementary in Snohomish School District.

Jenny has taken her love of reading and kids and created a most successful summer reading program.  When it was clear that many of her students were not able to do summer reading because they lacked books, Jenny decided to create the Snohomish Book Cafe.  She collected books, wrote grants, and worked tirelessly to get books into the hands of kids. Each week, the book cafe bookmobile heads to different locations in Snohomish (trailer parks, Boys and Girls Club, etc) with the simple goal of getting books into the hands of kids.  The books are for the kids to keep and love.

Jenny works tirelessly to make sure that the book cafe runs smoothly.  While she is not doing the weekly runs this year, there is not a week that goes by that she does not find herself looking for books for kids (yes, she does take special requests), organizing the book donations, or looking for ways to connect more kids to books, simply put, she is my hero!  The thing is, though, that she is not doing anything that millions of teachers do day in and day out. She is putting her students first. Isn’t that what we look to them to do?

November 2015 Educator of the Month Award Is Claire Baker, of Jackson Elementary in the Everett School District.

November 2015 Educator of the Month Award Is Claire Baker, of Jackson Elementary in the Everett School District.

Claire Baker goes above and beyond with her students and community.

Claire taught her students to crochet for years with her mother’s help. In the last two years she and I started an after-school Fiber Arts Club to continue teaching the students crochet along with other ways to work with fiber.

She has also taken on a leading role in the summer reading challenge, sending postcards to students, encouraging staff to take pictures of themselves reading, and even asking her sons band to perform a concert if the school reaches their reading goal.

Claire devotes many hours and her own income to prepare her class to be a place for learning. She is an outstanding part of our Jackson community and deserves to be acknowledged as such. Thank you for considering my request.

The stylish hat that Rick is wearing was made by the 5th grade students from Jackson Elementary!

December 2015 Educator of the Month Award Is Matt Grover, of Hilltop Elementary in the Edmonds School District.

December 2015 Educator of the Month Award Is Matt Grover, of Hilltop Elementary in the Edmonds School District.

I have had the great pleasure of not only working with Mr. Matt Grover, but my son was lucky enough to have him as his third grade teacher. Mr. Grover is an amazing teacher who shows a huge amount of care for his students. He has such a calm and kind manner, and treats his students with so much respect. 

He has an incredible way of helping all his students to grow to love reading. My son was a good reader going into third grade, but gained a great love and interest in books by the end of the school year because of Mr. Grover. Mr. Grover helped in creating a boy’s book club which brought over 50 boys to gather after school to read and talk about books. It was amazing to see so many boys gather, and I am confident that it was a successful club because of Mr. Grover. 

I feel blessed and fortunate that my son was able to learn and grow from Mr. Grover. My son says, “He is a good teacher because he read us a lot of really cool books. He is very nice and doesn’t ever get mad. I learned to love reading a lot and I learned a lot of math.” 

I hope you will choose Mr. Grover as a teacher of the month, he is more than deserving of this award!

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