WILL
WILL BE
WILL BE AVAILABLE BY DISTRICT STARTING NEXT WEEK.
>> IN 22 YEARS OF HONORING AREA
TEACHERS ARE KIDS 5 EXCEL AWARD
IS DOING SOMETHING NEW THIS
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. SINCE MANY SCHOOLS HAVE NOT
RETURNED TO IN-PERSON TEACHING
YET THIS YEAR ON PRESENTING
THE AWARDS VIRTUALLY THIS IS
JUST PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO
HONORING EDUCATORS WHO WORK
TIRELESSLY.
TIRELESSLY. WE WANT YOU TO MEET OUR FIRST
KIDS FIVE GREAT HUMAN EXCEL
RECIPIENT THIS YEAR.
BERNIE EYES D.
JANNA CLEMENS FROM VOSS MIDDLE
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. CONGRATULATIONS.
CONGRATULATIONS. >> TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
IT'S NOT HARD TO CHEER FOR MISS
JANA CLEMENTS.
JANA CLEMENTS. JENNA, YOU WERE YOU WHEN YOU
WON THIS IN A YEAR WHERE
EVERYBODY IS A SUPERSTAR
BECAUSE WE'RE STILL WIND AND
DOING EVERYTHING THAT YOU ABOVE
AND BEYOND.
AND BEYOND. AND WE WOULD LOVE TO PRESENT
YOU WITH THIS YEAR'S EXCEL
AWARDS.
AWARDS.
AWARDS. EVERYONE ON THE XOOM CALL FROM
THE PRINCIPAL AND EVEN FORMER
STUDENTS SPEAK TALES OF HER
GREAT WORK AS A TEACHER AS
WOULD STAND OUTSIDE THE HALLWAY
.
.
. NO
. NO MATTER HOW EARLY SHE GOT
THERE AND WELCOME EVERY SINGLE
KID THAT WALKED EVEN IF THEY
WERE IN THE SAME GRADE, IF SHE
WASN'T TEACHING THEM SHE WOULD
GO THE EXTRA MILE TO LEARN
EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S KNOW.
AND BY THE END OF THE YEAR IF
YOU ASK A STUDENT HEY, DO YOU
KNOW MISS CLEMENTS?
THEY WOULD.
THEY WOULD. I LOVE MISS CLEMENTS.
SHE'S THE BEST TEACHER EVER.
AND IT'S JUST AWESOME TO SEE
THAT IT REALLY MAKES YOU FEEL
SPECIAL.
SPECIAL.
SPECIAL. AND IT SEEMS NOTHING CAN STOP
CLEMENTS LARGER THAN LIFE
SCHOOL SPIRIT.
SCHOOL SPIRIT. THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN
DURING A TIME THAT SEEMED SO
LONG AGO PRE PANDEMIC BUT
CHALLENGING TIMES HAVEN'T
CHANGED HER ATTITUDE.
YOU'LL SEE ALMOST ALL OF THEM
IF NOT ALL THEY RESPECT.
SO I PRESENT MY SCREEN AND AS
MY STUDENTS ARE PHYSICALLY
WALKING IN THE ROOM I HAVE A
LITTLE BLUETOOTH HEADSET IN MY
EAR SO THEY CAN LOG ON AND
THEY'LL SAY HANDS COMMENTS AND
I HEAR THEM RIGHT HERE.
I HAVE A LITTLE MICROPHONE SO I
CAN TALK TO THEM IN AS THEY
COME IN.
COME IN.
COME IN. THEY HAVEN'T WORKED.
I WILL WARM UP AND THEN OUTSIDE
OF THAT WE'RE CONVERSING.
ALMOST AS IF THEY WERE DRESSED
IN THE COSTUME.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT
THEY'RE ON A TRIPOD ON AN EYE
GLASSES.
GLASSES.
GLASSES. VOSS MIDDLE SCHOOL LOOK A WHOLE
LOT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
BURNING EYES D WAS AMONG
THE FIRST TEXAS SCHOOL
DISTRICTS TO WELCOME STUDENTS
BACK TO CAMPUS IN AUGUST WHICH
MEANS CLEMENTS IS NOW JUGGLING
IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL LEARNING
SIMULTANEOUSLY BEING A LITTLE
MORE HOW CAN MEAN EVERY STUDENT
WHETHER THEY'RE IN PRISON OR
ONLINE AND HOW DO WE MAKE
EDUCATORS EQUITABLE?
EDUCATORS EQUITABLE? THIS YEAR I THINK WE ARE A LOT
MORE HONORED.
MORE HONORED. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TOMORROW
WILL BRING QUITE LITERALLY
DURING HER HISTORY CLASS.
>> HER FOCUS ISN'T JUST ON
THE 20 STUDENTS SITTING RIGHT
IN FRONT OF HER BUT ALSO ON
THE 10 CHILDREN JOINING THEM ON
THE COMPUTER FROM THEIR HOMES.
I WALK INTO HER CLASSROOM LAST
WEEK AND SHE'S RUNNING AROUND.
SHE'S GOT AN IPOD AND A TRIPOD
.
.
. SHE'S
. SHE'S GOT AN.
AND THOSE STUDENTS ARE WITH
THE IN-PERSON STUDENTS AND
THEY'RE NOT MISSING ME.
AND AS SHE LEARNS THE ROPES OF
THIS NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS,
CLEMENTS ALSO MENTORS NEW
TEACHERS THOUGH SHE'LL BE
THE FIRST TO TELL YOU.
SHE RELIES ON HER COLLEAGUES
JUST AS MUCH.
WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER.
WE'RE ALL EXPERIENCING THINGS
ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S A HERE.
IT'S TROUBLESHOOTING TOGETHER,
BRAINSTORMING TOGETHER AND JUST
BEING HONEST ABOUT WHAT'S GOING
ON IN THE CLASSROOM.
IT'S BEEN CHALLENGING.
HOWEVER IT'S BEEN SO WILD.
>> ALL RIGHT.
EXHALE A WORD TO CLEMENTS ALSO
INCLUDED 1000 DOLLARS FROM OUR
GREAT PARTNERS CREDIT HUMAN AND
AS I MENTIONED THE STORY
CLEMENS IS A NEW TEACHER MENTOR
AND SHE'S ALSO A STUDENT
COUNCIL SPONSOR AND I'M TOLD
SHE'S HUGE ON BEING INVOLVED IN
THE COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTEERING
DURING HER FREE TIME.
>> SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS
AWARD IS VERY WELL-DESERVED AND
FUN FACT FOR EVERYONE.
SO HER HUSBAND WAS OUR EXCEL
WINNER LAST YEAR BUT FOR KEMAL
IS JOY.
IS JOY.
IS JOY. IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.
IT DOES