LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kendra Anderson was nominated by her principal, Julie Johanson. 

Ms. Anderson is an incredible social studies teacher who has taught at Creswell Middle School for 26 years! In addition to being an incredible teacher, Ms. Anderson has coached students in volleyball for 26 years, basketball for 15 years, and track for 13 years. She has also provided countless opportunities for students in the community of Creswell through additional experiences, field trips, and extracurricular activities. Ms. Anderson gives back to the community by selflessly helping students make gains on social studies standards in the classroom and athletic gains on the court/field. More importantly, she helps them become better citizens capable of getting jobs after high school and participating in our society.

Ms. Anderson easily spends 10-12 hours a day, even on weekends, ensuring that students have engaging, standards-aligned, and culturally appropriate lessons to learn each day at school. She is the first to offer unique opportunities like You Science, Future Business Leaders of America, and CSI for students to learn real-life skills.

"Ms. Anderson has done an excellent job advocating for our students and school, gaining grants and experiences for our students and staff, and participating in ongoing professional development as a teacher to ensure that the information she provides students is culturally relevant and responsive," said Johanson. "She currently serves on grade level, content level, school site, and district-wide committees, and as a mentor to new teachers at CMS."

Ms. Anderson is such an outstanding educator that in 2023, she won the local, District, and Oregon state-level competitions for the VFW Teacher of the Year! Some of the additional experiences she has provided for students more recently include:

• The Junior Achievement Finance Park (Financial Literacy Program and Simulation)-2014-Present
• The Classroom Law Project "We the People" (A curriculum with simulated congressional hearing statements designed to help students understand the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and U.S. Government)-2014-Present
• The Classroom Law Project Mock Trial-2015 & 2022 Elevate Lane County Expo (Middle School expo for students to learn about potential careers)- 2019, 2021, 2022
• You Science Careers Oregon Department of Education Pilot Program-Coordinator at CMS 2021-present
• Money Vehicle Financial Literacy Pilot Program-Coordinator at CMS 2022-present
• CMS FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)-Advisor at CMS 2022-present
• CMS HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)- Advisor at CMS 2022-present

"Kendra is the most passionate teacher I've ever met as far as furthering her education to support students. She has taken so many professional development courses to become better! Overall, Kendra Anderson is an incredible teacher and person. She goes above and beyond for kids and our Creswell community and is very deserving of the LifeChanger of the Year Award," said Johansen.