“Ms. Ward is one of the most outstanding educators I have encountered in 20 years in education. She is an exemplary educator who is fully committed to centering students, acting as a facilitator and co-creator, and learning alongside and from her students. She is deeply committed to closing opportunity gaps for students impacted by racial inequity and other forms of marginalization, and to meaningful inclusion of students who are impacted by disability. As part of this commitment, she actively solicits her students’ voices and opinions, and acts on what she hears. She regularly consults with colleagues, administrators, and families to best support her students. Many adults maintain an ego stake in maintaining hierarchical interactions with students; Ms. Ward provides appropriate structure and expectation while simultaneously engaging students in ongoing opportunities to co-create their learning experiences and actively participate in shaping decisions about their classroom. She is both genuine and consistently positive. Importantly, she is also unafraid to respectfully interrupt student or adult behavior that is out of line with school and personal values or students’ best interest, or reframe situations to center students.”

-School Principal