Amy Gates Is Newest Recipient of Caught in the Act Award

Wow! If you or your child are ever blessed to cross the path of Amy Gates, consider yourself one of the luckiest people on the planet. See, Amy has a servant's heart, and it's so easy to tell by her daily actions with all the students, staff and faculty at Benton Elementary School.

See, until her recent promotion to Supervisor of Student Services for the Bossier Parish School Board, Amy was the principal at Benton, and she considered every person on her campus a member of her extended family, and there's simply nothing she wouldn't do to make those people's lives better!

Just read the nomination letter we got about Amy from Rachel Lowry, and once you wipe the tears from your eyes, you'll understand exactly why Amy had to be recognized as this week's recipient of the Kiss Country Caught in the Act Award.

Amy is the principal of Benton Elementary School. She is an amazing principal, friend, boss, mom, wife, sister, daughter, and just a great all around person. She wears many hats. She is a, "mom" to so many kids at her school. I have witnessed her wipe snot and tears from different students and give them giant hugs so that they feel loved, safe, and secure. I have seen her leave school and go to the store and buy clothes and shoes for different students. She has had food delivered to houses of students who didn't have much to eat in their home. She has provided Christmas to dozens of families, given gift cards to grocery stores and gas stations to families in need whose kids attend her school. These are just a few things that Mrs. Gates does to help the many various families in our community. She has a huge heart and loves each and every student equally. Not only is she good to the students, but she is absolutely the MOST compassionate boss ever. If a problem arises with a staff member or teacher, Mrs. Gates tells them to leave and tend to what they need to take care of and she finds someone to teach their class. She juggles all of this while trying to be a wife and mom to 3 kids of her own. Her daughter is a special needs child who was born with Down's Syndrome; therefore, she requires more attention than most kids do. She seems to fit it all in. I really don't think she gets to sleep much. It is nothing for us to receive an e-mail from her at 3am. She just puts her own wants and needs on the back burners and makes sure her family and school family are taken care of. She never stops helping people and making sure that her teachers are happy and have everything they need. Just this once, I would love for her to get recognized (whi ch she would die, she never wants credit for doing anything) and get a gift card for her and her husband to go eat on. We had a very rough year at our school last year and she took a bunch of heat for things that were out of her control. It is time that she gets the accolades that she so rightfully deserves. She is a phenomenal principal. BES is an amazing school with great students, faculty, and families all lead by Mrs. Gates. She leads with honesty and integrity and she so deserves to be recognized for the wonderful job she is doing. You will not be disappointed by choosing her for the next award. We could look the world over and never find someone who cares about her school, the students and families as much as Amy Gates does.

Amy Gates, thank you for being an inspiration to us all and a big reason why this is the greatest place in America to live!

And because you've been "Caught in the Act" the gang at Silver Star have a $100 Gift Certificate for you to come have dinner on them!

Take a listen to the phone call we made to Amy to let her know that she was this week's Caught In The Act Award recipient.