Teachers and staff members both nominate and vote for Teacher of the Year. Winners may not get a giant golden trophy, but they get something even better, notoriety and respect from their co-workers and school. These are honors this year’s winner Chemistry teacher Katrina Covington deserves. However, just receiving the recognition, isn’t the end of it, as principal Mr. Johnson is planning a reception for this years recipient. 

“As I’ve been in her class, her students are always engaged in hands-on learning. She’s always passionate and excited about what it is that she’s teaching. I think she has great relationships with the kids,” said Johnson.

The qualities of the Teacher of the Year go a little beyond teaching to the textbook. All class period, Mrs. Covington’s students are engaged in class and maintain a good relationship with their teacher. Outside of class, Mrs. Covington makes herself available to her students during after school tutoring sessions. Despite all this, the award came as a bit of a pleasant surprise to Covington.

“It’s a huge honor to be awarded Teacher of the Year. Although I’m not exactly sure why I got it this year, but I think it might be the relationships that I have with the rest of the staff and the students. But whatever reason for why I was chosen, it’s still a huge honor,” said Covington.

Although students may not have voted, they still have an opinion on the Teacher of the Year. Sophomore, Macie Torres, is one of Mrs. Covington’s Chemistry students. For Torres, Covington’s class is a breath of fresh air compared to her other classes. As Torres sits through Mrs. Covington’s class, it isn’t that subject that is being taught that keeps her engaged but the way its being taught and the value each student feels while sitting in Mrs. Covington’s classroom.

“Mrs. Covington gets involved with her students. She cares about how their day is going, what she can do to help them fix their grades, and if you just need a break because chemistry and school is hard, she will make sure you don’t have a mental break down. Mrs. Covington is the only teacher I have had that hasn’t made me feel insecure about the class,” said Torres.

Although she may not know exactly why she was chosen as this years recipient, Mrs. Covington is no less deserving of it. It is evident to anyone who walks into her classroom that Mrs. Covington pours all her time and energy into her students, making her worthy of this years Teacher of the Year award.