Values Ambassador Spotlight: G4 Supervisors — Alysius (Lysh) Dean, Anthony Bess, and Mikala Selmon

Nominated by: Julie Noller    |    Value: Celebration

Alysius (Lysh) Dean, Anthony Bess, and Mikala Selmon manage the G4 group home in the Heartspring Therapeutic Residential & Day School program. However, they went above and beyond G4’s walls to create a campus-wide experience to get everyone from executive leaders to direct care professionals involved in their Family Field Day event.

Taking inspiration from their own elementary school field days, they expanded on classic activities like tug of war, relay races, bubbles, and ring toss to make the event exciting and accessible for our students.

“Family Field Day was a perfect example of how Heartspring brings people together. It was amazing to see colleagues, students, and teams connecting outside of the usual day-to-day work,” said Talent Development Coordinator, Adrian Nase. “Events like this help create a real sense of community and belonging — something that makes working at Heartspring feel truly special.”

With snow cones, a slip and slide, games, and crafts, students had plenty of options to participate in the event. However, the staff’s joy was palpable as they grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, manned field day stations, and dunked each other with water or whipped cream.

“When the students are having fun, staff have more fun, too.” – Julie Noller, Art Program Coordinator

Family Field Day went beyond a typical student enrichment activity because there were additional budget, scheduling, and staffing limits to consider. However, every logistical hurdle was worth the effort when you could feel how much this meant to the kids, families, and staff making the event possible that day.

On top of coordinating the field day, Lysh, Anthony, and Mikala continued to run their group home, which provides more than shelter. Our Residential program helps build structure and support for students, and as students transition out of a school environment and into their adult placements, the residential team plays a critical role in shaping students’ independence and self-confidence.

Residential Home supervisors not only help students develop skills to achieve their goals, but they also build trust and communicate with families while coaching staff with patience and empathy.

Their Values Ambassador recognition highlights not only their incredible work on Family Field Day but the everyday dedication they bring to their roles and the leadership they exemplify for others. “We’re like an extended family,” Anthony added. “Parents trust us from halfway across the country most of the time. That impact means something.”

When it comes to future initiatives from the G4 team, they said we’ll have to wait and see what’s up their sleeves, but we’re excited for more events like this to be a part of our campus community.