Educators nominated for 2024 Teacher Awards honored with surprise visits

Rodricka Taylor
·4 min read

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– United Way of Acadiana is honoring educators who make a huge difference in and outside the classroom with the 2024 Teacher Awards.

Nominations came from students, parents, coworkers and other community members. Allison Dickerson, the director of marketing & communications, said over 250 volunteers assisted with pinning the people nominated. There were over 5,000 nominations and over 2,000 unique nominations. 70 schools were visited.

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The day started at Destiny of Faith Christian Church where volunteers gathered bright and early to receive instructions for the day. It was a packed room as everyone got excited and gathered supplies to surprised nominated teachers.

“Destiny today basically is here to help support our community in any way that we can,” Lashonda Dean, the coordinator of Destiny of Faith Church, said. “The United Way is supporting and championing the efforts of all of the teachers in our community, which we know is phenomenal work that they do every single day. So this is just a small way that we can help support the efforts that they are driving for the teachers who are so important by opening up our facility and helping them to get things going early in the morning to go out and pen the wonderful teachers in our community.”

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Before departing, volunteers received a route and list of teachers that they will pin. News 10 was with one team as they pinned teachers at individual schools. At each stop, volunteers yelled a chant and celebrated while surprising and pinning nominated teachers.

“Teachers do so much to raise the next generation in partnership with parents and everyone who actually has kids in this community and so by us coming together to just share in the work that they’re doing, celebrate them, honor them, it just gives them that extra support that they need to just keep going out every day and doing the work that they do,” Dean said. “It’s so important for us to see this, to bring value to their efforts and just to show them how much we care and appreciate them as well.”

Andrea Robert who is the Assistant Principal at Willow Charter Academy was one of many nominated.

“This is an amazing honor,” Robert said. “I didn’t know I was going to be honored. I thought everybody just honored the teachers. This feels amazing knowing that it’s from the community I feel really honored about.”

She told News 10 she had been with the school for six years. One year she taught math and the rest she served as an assistant principal.

“It was good to be celebrated because education is the least celebrated field and I’m just so happy that United Way has this program where they celebrate teachers of all Acadiana,” Robert said.

For individuals looking to get into the education field she mentioned passion is needed.

“It is one of the first fields that has each teacher touch every person. So you have to have a passion for it and whatever you put out there is whatever you’re going to get back,” Robert said. “A teacher is a great success. It has a lot of success stories but it’s about passion and you have to have passion to be in this game.”

Judith Leger who is a former educator of Scott Middle for over 20 years said it was rewarding to be able to pin many educators she once taught.

“It’s an honor to see that they have continued in education and hopefully, I have something to do with their decision to go into education,” Leger said.

“Working with the community never stops,” Dean said. “If you have the ability to go out there and support teachers or any other aspect for the professionals in our area, go ahead and do that. Find some time, take a minute, and just show them your appreciation by serving and volunteering in any way that you can.”

On March 1 at the UL men’s basketball game the 16 finalists will be presented, and the one winner in each category will be chosen. The categories are elementary, middle, high school and the inspirational category (counselor, custodian, cafeteria worker).

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