Brooke Harp of Rockford has been teaching literature at Holy Family Catholic School all 7 of her years teaching. In a nomination, we read that she, “goes above and beyond to make students feel special. I have the privilege of working with Miss Harp but also being a parent of one of her students …. she exceeds all expectations I as a parent hold.” A classroom observer shared, “She knows her subject. Her students feel her excitement and it creates enthusiastic learners.” Another said, “She promotes a positive and interactive classroom. Her attention and preparedness was impressive.” Brooke wrote in her essay, “one of my biggest jobs is to help my students not to feel anxious and overwhelmed or to view themselves as disappointments.” She writes notes to each student “to acknowledge what makes them important to our class.” The mutual respect was evident to observers. They liked the warm environment and positive feedback Brooke gives. Brooke’s principal, Cori Gendron wrote that she “has a natural ability to make personal connections with students, not only in the classroom, but also through many extracurricular activities.” Brooke has been researching authors and topics to which they would better relate than simply using what’s been used in the past. She’s added books by authors with more diverse backgrounds and books written in modern settings. Her classroom is full of books, color coded so students can identify books of interest at their reading level. Through continuing education, reading and collaboration, Brooke continually evaluates her teaching and how best to challenge students. After seeing how another teacher used manipulatives to explain concepts, Brooke introduced Legos for students to create a 3D model of a part of the book. She said the students loved the hands-on learning and it helped them remember what was happening. She added, “I feel profound joy when I know I am helping someone accomplish a goal. My students’ goals right now are to gain knowledge, to grow in self-confidence and to continue to figure out how to be a good human being. If I, through being a teacher, can help them reach those goals, I feel successful with how I am using my life.”