Nathaniel Green’s classroom is fueled on inclusivity and community. Green started his career teaching English in South Korea. Now, he is a middle school social studies teacher at Newport High School (Newport Independent).
Angela Dilts-Pollock values not only educating her students, but also helping them to grow into who they are and who they will become. “It’s my job to help students discover who they are and how to be the best version of themselves,” said Pollock. “Teaching of content comes after, when students feel safe in my classroom and that I care about them as humans.”
After changing her college major five times, Keva Buckley finally settled on becoming an educator. When applying for classes, she accidentally signed up for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) education course at Eastern Kentucky University, not realizing it was different from other education courses. From this initial class, Buckley discovered her passion for American Sign Language (ASL) and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
The kindness and encouragement from one of her former teachers inspired Melinda Richardson to pursue a career as an educator. A 4th- and 5th-grade math teacher at Clay City Elementary School (Powell County) since 2006, she said her greatest accomplishment is encouraging students to create positive change in the world by giving back to their communities.
As a 15-year veteran teacher, Shannon Kay knows how important education can be in a child’s life. She currently teaches 1st grade in Boone County, but she also has taught preschool and kindergarten.
As the science teacher at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts at Bluegrass (Fayette County), Julie Moore is a strong advocate for arts-integrated education as a part of a student’s success.
For the past decade, Ashley Buchanon has been an educator and a Kentucky mathematics teacher leader.
Rebecca Brewer has always had a passion for learning, creativity and helping others. This is why she fell in love with education and decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a certification in learning/behavior disorders at Bellarmine University. She also earned a master’s degree as a literary specialist.
Lauren Niemann, an environmental education teacher at Fern Creek High School (Jefferson County), is passionate about cultivating humane practices in her classroom.
At an early age, Amber Hays, a National Board-certified early childhood educator, knew she wanted to be a teacher.