LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Heather Ayres was nominated by her colleague, Crystal Perez.

Ms. Ayres' students are always performing well on all of the state and district assessments. Many times, she has had the top scores in the district. She is very creative in her presentation of lessons, which allows for her students to learn new skills.  She clearly loves her students.

"I have seen her purchase items that her students needed because she knew they weren't able to get them at home," said Perez. "She has never hesitated to have students from the self-contained special education classroom mainstream in her classroom.  She encourages their participation in classroom activities, and the students who go into her classroom love it in there."

As the lead for her grade level, Ms. Ayres helps the teachers on her team so that they are successful. She spends many hours beyond her contracted hours to ensure her colleagues have the support they need. She has helped new teachers in her district, and she has also taught classes, such as how to fill out paperwork correctly or how to teach engaging lessons.    

Aside from being a phenomenal teacher, Ms. Ayres has been on almost every committee in the district.  She has served on the IBN, Calendar, Budget, and 301 committees, just to name a few. As the IDEA president, she always fights for what is best for students and staff. Staff members always feel supported by her. She attends many meetings to discuss what is best for the Isaac School District staff. She meets with the superintendent regularly to share concerns and solutions for school-based issues. She spends many hours outside of her day participating in these meetings in order to meet the needs of the district's students, staff, and community. 

Ms. Ayres also coordinates many events for her school. One of these events is Junior Achievement Day, where volunteers such as bankers and lawyers from the community come in and spend the day completing lessons with the students so they can learn about running a business and managing money. Over the past few years, she has also worked toward making Zito a community school and building a pantry for families who need food.  

Finally, she recently ran for the school board in her neighborhood so she could help the staff and make changes for the students there.  She is such an amazing teacher who always puts students first!