Michele Grey

Michele Grey

Michele Grey, a 5th-grade teacher at Old Mill Elementary School (Bullitt County) has been named the 2017 Kentucky DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Program) Association Teacher of the Year.

Old Mill has had a 100 percent graduation rate from the program for the past two years.

“I have found great pleasure in working with an age group that can be creative and accepting of new ideas,” Grey said. “Each year we use the DARE essay as a platform to release the creative skills that the students have and to showcase what they have learned throughout the program. Having been part of the DARE program at both Old Mill Elementary and Shepherdsville Elementary, it has given me a unique perspective into how socioeconomic diversity requires a different approach to reach the students with the image the DARE program portrays.”

Grey was nominated for the award by Sgt. Becky Franklin of the Mount Washington Police Department.

“I love all the teachers I work with, but I really feel that Ms. Grey has put forth extra effort the last couple of years, especially with the essays,” Franklin said. “She also works hard to make sure that each student graduates from the DARE program by making sure everything is complete.”

Grey said students are open to various opinions and accept the ideas presented by DARE and Franklin.

“Together, we are able to inform and instruct the students in the art of making lifelong decisions that affect their well-being and health,” she said. “Being able to help the students make informed choices that affect family and friends – as well as themselves – by utilizing coping skills that help to de-escalate situations has always been a rewarding part of the year.”

Grey received the award this summer at the Law Enforcement in Schools Conference in Richmond.