After the tallying of students’ and teachers’ votes, the winner of Teacher of the Year was clear. The intercom crackled, drawing the attention of each student and teacher in the building, and when Katy Moore heard her name announced as the recipient of the honor, her heart soared.

“Holy macaroni, it was so overwhelming. I was absolutely shocked and stunned at first.  I didn’t even know that the Teacher of the Year was going to be announced, I was honestly just excited to teach that day because it was the end of The Crucible,” Moore said.

Through her innovative, creative lesson plans and her intentionality with each student she comes in contact with, Moore draws a respect and a love from the student body that became even more apparent with the statements of the students that submitted her.

“Mrs. Moore always makes my day better because she is genuinely happy that you are there and makes you feel loved and safe in her room. She is always willing to go the extra mile for you. Even if it’s not convenient for her, she does it anyway,” senior Molly Lovelace said.

Moore’s desire to teach is what helps her to continue to push herself to be better daily, even after eight years of teaching. She gets great joy out of seeing her students succeed, and will try whatever it takes to help them understand her class.

“Every day, I get the chance to learn something or push myself and my students to understand something in a new way. Teaching has allowed me to change the way I think, to work with remarkable, caring, brilliant professionals, and to meet and learn with students from all kinds of backgrounds who are willing to share with me so I can continue to grow,” Moore said.

In order to gain knowledge and aid in the creation of her lessons, Moore seeks other help from random sources for inspiration.

“I am inspired by everything. I attend a lot of professional development, I read a lot, I listen to podcasts, I talk to other teachers, I talk to my amazing professional learning community at HBHS. Lesson Planning is one of the best parts of teaching,” Moore said.

Moore’s students enjoy her class, not only because of the content that she teaches, but also because of the environment she creates within her classroom.

“On the first day of school, she made our entire class get in a circle and share information about ourselves, and said from day one that we are all a family in her classroom,” senior Caroline Eastep said. “She has maintained that mentality all year, and has been the most loving and encouraging teacher I have ever had.”

Moore’s family was also thrilled about the award, and Moore credits them as being her biggest support system, even through all of the ups and downs of teaching.

“My husband was so proud-he brought me tulips and my favorite snack after school. My daughter and son were both so proud for me. My sister also sent me a ton of happy Snapchats.  It was awesome,” Moore said. “My family is amazing about supporting my teaching endeavors. They constantly encourage me and never let me get too down on myself. They are so supportive when I want to travel somewhere for professional development or join some organization or group.”

In the wake of all of the praise that Moore has received in being honored with the title of Teacher of the Year, she still points the attention back to her students.

“My favorite part of my job is when my students push me to learn and improve upon my work,” Moore said. “I have truly been honored with the creative, insightful, thoughtful work that my students have done, and I could not be prouder of my students.”