Lucy Solis Potocki, a fifth-grade teacher at Sato Elementary School in the Bethany area, is one of three Beaverton School District staff members recognized as BSD Achievers for October.
A parent nominated Potocki for the award, writing that the teacher "made a real difference in my daughter's academic growth," according to the district's announcement. The parent said Potocki provided challenging math worksheets that helped the student practice consistently, build confidence and ultimately pass a math placement test.
The result: the student advanced directly to seventh-grade math.
"With only Ms. Potocki's support and without any help from me at home, my daughter got the confidence to attend the math placement test, passed it, and was able to advance directly to 7th grade math," the parent wrote in the nomination.
Beyond math, the parent credited Potocki with providing vocabulary worksheets, conducting regular tests and encouraging students to set and achieve higher goals.
Sato Elementary, at 7775 NW Kaiser Rd., serves about 863 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Its students feed into Stoller Middle School and then Westview High School, according to the district's school profile.
The BSD Achievers program, now in its 2026-2027 cycle, recognizes three district employees each month. Any BSD employee can be nominated by students, parents, staff or community members. Winners may only be recognized once every two years.
A committee of the district's Chief Human Resources Officer and Human Resources executive administrators selects honorees from the nominations. District leaders then surprise the winners at their workplace with the award.
The district said a video highlighting all three October honorees will be posted later in October. Community members can submit nominations for future BSD Achievers through the district's program page.
