2023 School Teacher of the Year Profiles - continued
Holly Springs ES STEM Academy: Cathy Hazzard
The most amazing thing about Cathy Hazzard, according to her colleagues, is not her exemplary classroom instruction or extraordinary relationship building skills.
It’s “her being her” – a patient and kind person with an incredible work ethic and humble spirit that benefits both her Early Intervention Program kindergartners and her colleagues.
“Coming in from car rider, another duty she has, I noticed her picking up trash in the car rider loop while the drizzling rain was coming down,” a colleague said. “I asked her ‘What are you doing? You think you have to do that now?’ To which she replied with a smile, ‘Well, I saw this trash, and I had a bag to put it in.’ I thought, ‘There she goes being Cathy Hazzard again.’”
Her positive attitude toward her colleagues, students and their families alike, has earned Ms. Hazzard nominations for Teacher of the Year many times before over her career, but she deferred them every time until this one.
As one parent shared, Ms. Hazzard is more than a great teacher – she’s a champion for her students.
“She has been the champion who has shown our children the power of connection, and through her kindness, she has impacted my family’s life,” the mom said. “She loves her students, cares for them and always finds a way to make them feel they’re loved, they matter and that they are capable of success.”
In her own words: “Being a student advocate does not have to be a grand gesture; little actions may make the most significant difference in a student’s life. Listening to our students and focusing on their needs creates a culture of safety and love and enables them to thrive.”