LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Carnell Whittaker was nominated by her principal, Ryan Newberry.

If you ever wonder what the perfect elementary classroom should look like, walk into Mrs. Whittaker's first-grade classroom. It is a pure sandbox of exploration and learning. There is a variety of flexible seating, and students are often engaged in various higher-level activities. Mrs. Whittaker knows her instructional standards, but more importantly, she knows how to impart these to every student in her classroom.

"No matter how far behind a student is when they enter 1st grade, I can rest easy knowing that they will go to second grade on, if not above, grade level in reading. One example is of a few young students who displayed the classic signs of ADHD. Mrs. Whittaker came to me and asked if we could order weighted shoulder wraps to help them stay calm and focus on reading. We did so, and within a few weeks, their reading levels all shot up due to Mrs. Whittaker's ability to think out of the box. These students are in second grade now, and they will still ask for their shoulder wraps so they can read," said Newberry.

Other teachers rely on her, not just at GBES but in the division as well. She has a multitude of teachers from around the county who say, "Hey, I can't figure out exactly how to teach this to my kids. How do you do it?" or "I have a student that I just cannot get to behave. What would you recommend I try?"

Regarding high standards, Mrs. Whittaker devotes herself daily to teaching students right from wrong and taking care of others. She runs a snack cart and makes the students responsible for selling items; this teaches the students math and raises money that her class donates to St. Jude's Children's Hospital. When Hurricane Helene ravaged the region, Mrs. Whittaker took up donations and delivered them to Samaritan's Purse at North Wilkesboro Speedway on behalf of the school. For these and many other reasons, she deserves to be recognized!