Shishonee Hughes
Science Teacher
Liberty High

Shishonee is so much more than a teacher! She makes learning as fun as it can be for a bunch of high school kids. She encourages them and notices them.

What really stood out in this last school year was how much she loved not only my child, but all the kids as her own after the passing of Owen Skelley. My son took it hard. He didn’t want to be at school, didn’t want to talk to me, but he would talk to ‘Hughes’. I knew he was safe. I knew he was looked after and I knew he was getting more than just a chemistry lesson in her class, but life lessons. Shishonee connects with kids. They will do the work for her. And she will be there for them. 

Erin Lange
Kindergarten Teacher
Borlaug Elementary

When we were preparing our son for kindergarten, the only thing we were really worried about was him being paired with the right teacher for him. Ms. Lange absolutely obliterated any concerns we had right from the start.

I firmly believe that Ms. Lange was not only the perfect first teacher for our son, but she is also everything any parent could hope for in a kindergarten teacher. She really connected with our son and not only expertly guided him through the twists and turns of learning in a school setting, but also heavily contributed to his new love of school and learning.

Our son loved Ms. Lange as a teacher so much that he lists her right up there with his best friends and recess in what he has missed the most about school over the summer. I know that all Kindergarten teachers are good at teaching 5- and 6-year-olds, but I genuinely believe that Ms. Lange is one of, if not THE, biggest reason he now has such a deep love of school and learning in a class.

Curtis Butler
5th Grade Teacher
Penn Elementary

Curtis goes above and beyond to develop relationships with kids every year. Not just the kids in his class but any kid in the building. Having worked with Curtis for several years, I have gotten to know him as a trusted colleague and have always been impressed with his generosity. He always made time to speak to my kids about Harry Potter, books, or answer the never-ending stream of questions about his class pet, a gecko.

Student shout outs: 

"He is funny and lets us have fun, and he dances."

"He is super funny, nice, and fun! He is the best teacher I ever had!"

"He has a very good sense of humor."

"He is very nice, and kind of funny, also he dances."

"He is funny, great at teaching, one the BEST teachers!"

"He is very patient with us. He does a lot of fun things he doesn't have to do." 

"He's a good teacher because he is just plain amazing."

"He helps people if they are struggling with math." 

"He is very kind and very nice."

"He is awesome! He's very chill and lets us have fun."

"He is fun and funny."

"He is very nice."

"He is nice."

“He is funny and keeps learning fun. He lets us have classroom jobs."

"He helps us with things we do not understand, and he helps us in an understandable way. Also, he is funny." 

Shamari Scott
English Teacher
City High

Mr. Scott creates interesting and engaging lessons that challenge students to read books about people from demographic groups that differ from their own. Reading books about diverse characters helps students develop empathy and compassion for all.

Mr. Scott also encourages students to read books by authors from different backgrounds. This is important because it exposes students to a variety of perspectives. My daughter comes home from school excited about the things she learns from Mr. Scott.

I also appreciate Mr. Scott's ability to develop rapport with his students. He works individually with students who are struggling to help them stay on track to meet their academic goals. Mr. Scott is an asset to our school, and an overall fabulous teacher!