Teacher as Hero Awards

8 winners, including 1 Top Exceptional Teacher
This award will be presented to exceptional educators who leverage their excellence in teaching to make a difference in the lives of their students. Winners will be selected based on their achievements in the following areas. The Top Exceptional Teacher will be someone who exhibits ALL or MOST of these criteria.

• Fosters an appreciation for diversity in the classroom;
• Teaches students how to resolve conflicts respectfully;
• Gives students a deeper understanding of the relationship between rights and responsibilities;
• Honors student voice in the classroom and in public spaces;
• Has taken a risk in order to remove an obstacle to a student’s liberty; or
• Incorporates the above concepts in their relationships with colleagues and community members.

1 winner
This award will be presented to an educator who has integrated community service into the classroom to increase student civic engagement. Criteria:

• This honoree meaningfully incorporates and champions student voice into the service learning process.
• Their students’ deep understanding of the issues they work on can be seen in the impact of their projects.

Category #3:
Good Neighbor Award

1 winner
This award will be presented to a teacher who has initiated or teaches driver safety with heart by helping teen drivers to understand that driving is a responsibility as well as a privilege. Criteria:

• This honoree combines hands-on practice with lessons designed to teach the concept of responsible driving.
• Their students’ understanding of the responsibility of driving is evident through their actions and/or testimonials.