Northwest R-1 school officials recently announced its Teacher of the Year – Kristen Price, a teacher for the district’s Early Childhood Center.
After graduating from college, Price, 39, of Fenton began working for the Northwest School District and has been there for 16 years, first as a Title I preschool teacher for 13 years and then as an ADA preschool teacher for the past three years at the Early Childhood Center. She is a graduate of Lindbergh High School, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the University of Missouri in Columbia.
“I am not a Northwest graduate, but when this district welcomed me 16 years ago, I truly felt like I had found my home,” Price said. “My heart is here at Northwest R-1, and I am honored to give back to a community that gives so much to its students and schools.”
Teacher of the Year Award
Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said the Teacher of the Year award recognizes excellence among the district’s educators.
“Our District Teacher of the Year is a special acknowledgement, as that is the person who will represent Northwest R-I at the Regional Teacher of the Year level and who will be a spokesperson for the district during events in the coming year,” Hecktor said.
The district opened up nominations for the award mid-year, asking staff members, parents, students or other community members to nominate educators who exemplify professional excellence.
“I received two nominations this year. I was nominated by a parent of a current student, and I was also nominated by one of my teammates at the Early Childhood Center,” Price said. “I was honestly so shocked when they surprised me to tell me I received this year’s award. It was such a special moment that I will remember forever.”
Learning and leading
Price said she is an advocate for early childhood education and believes a strong foundation in early childhood sets students up for future success.
“At the ECC, we do amazing work, and it’s important to me to help shine a light on those efforts,” she said. “I work each day to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, seen and empowered to grow.
“I’m especially passionate about helping my students develop leadership skills they can carry with them into kindergarten and beyond. I serve as a Lighthouse coordinator, helping to guide our Leader in Me initiative, which empowers students and builds leadership even at the early childhood level.”
Price is also involved in the district’s Family Involvement Committee, which works to bring families into the school through events that foster home and school connections and that celebrate student learning.
“Our committee also has worked this year to connect families to community resources by hosting events at local places like the High Ridge firehouse and the Jefferson County Library,” she said.
Hecktor said Price is an exemplary educator who dedicates her time and energy to students in the classroom and beyond.
“She is reflective and is committed to providing the highest quality learning experiences for our youngest learners,” Hecktor said. “She has been the primary leader of the Lighthouse team at the Early Childhood Center. Through her leadership and the facilitation she has provided, the Early Childhood Center gained Lighthouse status this year through Leader in Me.
“Kristen is a living example of our district motto (love, learn, lead): She loves what she does, she learns every day and she leads the way.”
The wonders of working
Price said what she loves most about her position is getting to watch her students grow and change over the course of the school year.
“There is an incredible amount of development that happens in such a short time for a preschool-aged child,” she said. “Every August, I welcome students who are just coming out of the toddler stage. Many of them have never been anywhere outside of their family, so it can be a big, and at times, scary transition for them. But by May, I get to send them off to kindergarten with confidence, independence, leadership skills and a new excitement for learning.”
Price said she is grateful for the award, adding that the acknowledgement encourages her to work harder for her students.
“I pour my heart into my students, classroom and school each day, so receiving recognition for what I do is incredibly special. I am grateful and more motivated than ever to continue advocating for our district’s littlest learners,” she said.