(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte man has been voted tops in the state for his work as a paraprofessional at a local grade school.  David Renner is this year’s Indiana State Teacher Association’s “Educational Support Professional of the Year.”

 

Renner, 76, has worked at Indian Trail Elementary School for the past several years and previously was a volunteer at the former Lincoln Elementary School.

He began with the school corporation after retiring from Indiana State Prison.

 

Occasionally, Renner, a beloved figure at the school, will hold signs containing funny or positive messages at the school.  He once held a sign with an encouraging message while dressed as his grandmother.

 

He said the award caught him by surprise and credited his parents for the way he conducts himself.

 

“I just treated people and did my job the way Lester and Mickey Renner taught their children.  I just hope that wears off on my students,” he said.

 

Renner was nominated for the award by his daughter, Andie, a paraprofessional at Pine Elementary School near Michigan City.  The ISTA awarded her with a community service award.

 

Renner said her father also attends the club and sporting events of his students to show his support for them.  She also recalled a time when her father’s commitment to the students was obvious while he was in the hospital.

 

“He just kept asking the doctor when he could go back to work, not when he was going to be released or even anything about himself. No, he was worried about getting back to his students,” she said.