Former health officer earns award for work with schools

Tamalee Robinson, the former public health officer for the Flathead County City-County Health Department, recently was awarded the 2021 Friends in Education Award by the Montana Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals at the Montana Virtual Principals Conference.

The Friends in Education Award provides an opportunity for the members of the Association to recognize those individuals or organizations in Montana communities who have gone above and beyond the normal call of duty in supporting and promoting public education.

In her nomination letter, Jen Stein, principal at Edgerton Elementary School in Kalispell, stated, “Tamalee has been an unbelievable resource and tireless worker for schools during this time of stress for COVID. She works for the health department; attends numerous meetings, makes calls for hours a day, and orchestrates the process between community and school for our Valley.

“She is available to our administrative team at all hours of the day, takes on really hard conversations in the community on behalf of the health of our schools and our students, and is patient with all the questions and needs we each have individually,” Stein continued. “She does this job solely to protect the health of our community and to support the needs of our students in our schools.”