Two more educators were treated to surprises over the past week when they were presented certificates as LifeChangers of the Year.
Teams from National Life and our field distribution partners visited teachers in Detroit and in Alameda, Calif., to let them know that they’ve won a LifeChanger of the Year award.
Amy Lazarowicz is a science teacher at Neinas Dual Language Learning Academy in Detroit, who was nominated by the city’s schools superintendent. She is a finalist for the LifeChanger grand prize. She’ll win at least $5,000, which will be shared equally with her school, and might win the $10,000 grand prize.
Amy was recognized for going above and beyond her duties as a science teacher to give her students practical applications for the lessons she teaches. Her third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classes maintain the outdoor classroom, using onions, cabbage and potatoes to teach lessons and feed neighbors of the school.
She also organized her students to win the Detroit Public Community Schools RecycleBowl, collecting more than 300 pounds of recyclables over four weeks. Her students also presented at a community forum at Eastern Michigan University about how they helped create a new vision for their neighborhood space that had been blighted for more than 12 years.
“Amy was my elementary school science teacher,” Raul Orozco wrote on Amy’s LifeChanger profile. “She is success and community oriented. I’m now a Secondary Integrated Science Education major in my 4th year at Eastern Michigan University and she served as an inspiration to me since I was a child. She’s absolutely amazing and is changing the world for the better, one student at a time.”
Todd Higashi also teaches science, as well as physical education, at the Alameda Science & Technology Institute in California. He was presented one of 10 national LifeChanger of the Year awards, which carry a $3,000 cash prize, half to him and half to his school.
He also created an outdoor classroom when he developed the school’s garden. Todd also works to foster creativity and bring latent talents to life in his students. For example, a series of photography assignments helped a former 12th grade student develop his talents, and his photographs now grace official school postcards used to send positive notes home to parents.
“Mr. Higashi is the type of teacher who will always ask how you are doing and follow up with you,” Maryam Baghat wrote on his LifeChanger profile. “If he sees that you are irritated, angry or sad, he knows the right thing to do to make you happy and smile. I think the best thing about Mr. Higashi is his support and kindness.”
Amy and four other finalists will travel to Naples, Fla., next month for our annual Conference of Champions where the LifeChanger of the Year Grand Prize will be awarded.
