The anticipation is over! The Educator of the Year award was presented on August 27th in the Crown Showroom. The winner was Danielle Lotton-Barker from Southwest Middle School in Lawrence. Danielle was our March winner and was chosen over 7 of her fellow monthly winners. Danielle was chosen because of her deep investment in her students inside and outside of the classroom. The confidence that she instills in her kids is very valuable and she encourages them to be proud of who they are. Danielle attends many of her students extra-curricular activities to show her support. She taught Spanish to students whose schedules are too full and then took them on a trip to Costa Rica! She urges her students to gain an interest in government by bringing them to see the Model U.N. Danielle’s influence over students has been very important to them and we are extremely excited that we have the chance to recognize her dedication. For her service, Danielle was awarded $500 for Southwest Middle School as well as $500 for herself courtesy of Meritust Credit Union. She also received a 2013 Prius from Crown Automotive to keep for a year! If you know of a teacher who deserves to be recognized, make sure you vote for them during this upcoming school year!