Larry Willis of Communications

YAY LARRY WILLIS! Larry Willis, website and print production IT manager with the Division of Communications, is today’s “Yay of the Day” honoree. Superintendent Amy Cashwell honored him recently at Montrose Elementary School, where he volunteers.

YAYWORTHY: Larry was nominated by several people at the school.
Angie Moore said: “Larry begins each day at Montrose Elementary, opening car doors to greet students and families. During this time, he builds positive relationships with our families. Our students look forward to seeing him at arrival and will go out of their way to greet him with a high five! Rain or shine, Mr. Willis is dedicated to bringing joy and kindness to our Montrose community. Larry is part of our Henrico HEROES mentoring group, which meets every two weeks. He supports students in this group by listening and encouraging them to set goals for themselves. He follows up with students during morning drop-off, checking in and walking them to class if needed. Mr. Willis truly cares about our students and we are so thankful for his dedication to our community!

“He made a connection with a particular student who needed daily encouragement and walks him to class each morning. Mr. Willis went above and beyond to provide social and emotional support for the student. He played silly games which made the student giggle and laugh all the way to class. The student was completely intrigued with Mr. Willis’ humor and kindness. This became a daily routine for them both and set this student up for a successful start to the day. There are many Montrose students positively impacted each day by Mr. Willis.”

Lynda Clark said:
“Mr. Willis makes a great impact. He’s helped my daughter Blessyn in so many ways! She didn’t speak to anyone in September when we first got to Montrose. Mr. Willis got her to say, “Good morning,” but not every morning. He has been a positive force in our lives and has helped Blessyn overcome some of her fears. She didn’t know Mr. Willis’ name, and asked me one morning, ‘Where’s glasses?’ I told Blessyn his name and she smiled. Now every morning she looks for Mr. Willis. She knows his name now, yet some mornings she still asks, ‘Where’s glasses?’ She smiles when we pull up in the circle and she sees him. She still hides behind her backpack when he calls her name loudly, but she has the biggest grin on her face. I’m grateful he’s there in morning.”

Thank you for all you do, Larry Willis, to make a positive difference and move HCPS forward!