A normal day is interrupted by cheers and a 20 foot banner with an award. Students and teachers flood the room with outpourings of love. Mr. Darrell Thorley has won Teacher of the Year, and his peers and students are almost as excited as he is.
After being nominated by the staff, Thorley is honored as the high school’s Teacher of the Year.
“I was shocked, overjoyed, and in a state of disbelief,” Thorley said. “Mrs. Crane made the announcement so exciting when she and Ms. Snyder led a group of students into my room. It was the biggest celebration in my classroom ever!”
The campus teacher of the year is decided by a poll of the staff. Every campus has its own teacher of the year, along with 2 other teachers chosen by the district.
“An absolutely awesome experience,” Thorley said. “I felt very honored and appreciated. My students loved it, too.”
Thorley teaches Online Credit Recovery, which allows students to retake a class for credits, and Online Academics, which allows students to earn credit through online courses available.
“I had credit recovery with Mr. Thorley,” senior Jai’lynn Grove said. “The class itself was pretty boring, but he was pretty fun himself.”
Staff can elect nominees based on important traits like collaboration, leadership and innovation.
“Teachers are eligible for Teacher of the Year or Heart Beat Award,” secretary Diane Parsons said. “Being experts in their field who guide students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve excellence, deliberately connect the classroom and key stakeholders to foster a strong community at large and express themselves in an engaging and articulate way make a good candidate.”
Teacher of the year is an award of excellence for teaching staff. Thorley has used the award as inspiration to work even harder for his students.
“For me, helping students believe, plan, and achieve high school graduation is the ultimate success,” Thorley said. “To be part of a profession that lays the foundation for the youth of America to be successful, is the most amazing experience for all of us in the field of education to enjoy.”
