LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Brandy Kopszywa

Position: Secondary Special Education Transition Teacher
School: D'Iberville High School
School District: Harrison County School District
City, State: Biloxi , MS

Support Brandy Leave a comment Get Updates

Brandy Kopszywa was nominated anonymously.

"Three words that I would use to describe Dr. Kopszsya are inspirational, innovative, and professional. She fully meets and fulfills the criteria of LifeChanger of the Year. She does an outstanding job of incorporating her students into our school's daily structure and mainstream activities while teaching them the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce and live independently in the future," said the nominator.

"Dr. Kopszywa has created a school-based business for her students to learn occupational skills and fund many of the profits from this business to fund many of the class's field experience projects. Warrior Coffee and Lemonade services the students of D'Iberville High School. The transition students benefit from this business by learning customer service skills, how to inventory items needed for the business, and the economic value of cost vs. profit. Warrior Coffee and Lemonade also allows Dr. Kopszwya's students to meet the entire DHS student body and faculty," said the nominator.

"Dr. Kopszwya has partnered with our ACT Prep teacher and ACT 30+ Club to hold regular mock interviews with our transition students. The goal is to prepare the students with the necessary skills to seek and secure employment following their high school course completion. She has also organized a project called Work Olympics for her students. During the Work Olympics, the students compete with one another on prevocational skills such as sorting, table settings, filing papers, assembly, stocking shelves, plus other work-related tasks. As you can see, Dr. Kopszywa is very innovative with her instruction and engages in many cross-curricular activities," said the nominator.

"Dr. Kopszwya has outstanding classroom management and uses differentiation to engage students. Teaching is a difficult task due to her class's wide range of intellectual abilities, but she makes it look effortless. The students love being in the classroom, which is a testament to her relationship with the students. The students learn their core subjects while tying the information into the practical application of career readiness and learning about jobs available upon high school completion. There is also a focus on social and emotional education. The students learn how to interact appropriately with peers and adults, become advocates for themselves, and appropriately ask for help when needed. By teaching these skills, Dr. Kopszwya equips her students with confidence in their abilities and future. Dr. Kopszwya has also found extracurricular activities for her students based on their abilities and interests. Students from her class participate in the following extracurricular activities: football, JROTC, bowling team, Eco Warriors (recycling club), Drama Club, art, and music," said the nominator.

"Lastly, Dr. Kopszwya is committed to involving all stakeholders in her curriculum and development of her students. She creatively reaches out to parents and the community to incorporate them into the educational process. For two years, Dr. Kopszwya has been instrumental in a District Field Day that allows the transition classes from all three high schools in the Harrison County School District to compete and get to know one another. William Carey University and Keesler Airforce Base are community sponsors actively involved in this project's funding and implementation. The students look forward to this and proudly wear the medals they earned. There are collaborations and field trips to local businesses and agencies such as the Coast Transit Authority, local banks, restaurants, William Carey University Nursing, the City of D'Iberville Public Library, and the post office. Students learn skills that will benefit them as they learn to live independently and make community connections while learning to navigate the city where they live. Dr. Kopszwya also has multiple guest speakers come to her class to discuss safety in the community, CPR and safety issues, and employment opportunities with her students. Community involvement is vital to the success of these children, and Dr. Kopszwya goes above and beyond and spends countless hours outside of the school day to provide these amazing opportunities for her students," said the nominator.

"In conclusion, this is just a tiny snapshot into the difference Dr. Kopszwya is making in the lives of our students. The students grow and learn by leaps and bounds and love attending school. I give 100% of the credit to Dr. Kopszway and her classroom assistants for creating such a nurturing and innovative atmosphere in which we see our students thrive. I highly recommend her for LifeChanger of the Year," said the nominator.

292 300 312 319 312

Comments (3)

Sarah Yennie Posted over a year ago

It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Brandy Kopszywa for the Life Changer of the Year Award. I have had the pleasure to work with Brandy. She is a hard worker, who is willing to take on new challenges every day to impact instructions and create an excellent classroom environment for her students. I have seen her work with her students, to prepare them for success in and after high school. I can list a few things that I’ve seen first-hand that Brandy has incorporated into her lessons for her students to experience frequently such as counting and sorting change, folding laundry, mock job interviews. Her students run a lemonade cart for the entire student body and faculty. Brandy’s students even have a field day including several other high schools to participate in for awards and ribbons. Brandy has included many student clubs, JROTC, 30+, Nursing students as well as college students to assist in the field day event. It is a fun day filled with games, food, comradery, and competition. As her coworker, I can vouch for her sincerity to her work and the exceptional nurturing care that she gives each of her students. Due to her diligence and tireless work ethic her students are thriving at school and are being well prepared for the real world after high school. Brandy has always proved herself to be a kind and helpful person. Going the extra mile for her students and peers is second nature to her. I have often looked to her for advice and mentorship as I believe she can contribute highly to every aspect of teaching. One of Brandy’s best assets is her ability to utilize positivity and interact effectively with her students. Without hesitation, I strongly recommend Brandy for the Life Changer of the Year Award. Sincerely, Sarah Yennie

Sheryl Nyary Posted over a year ago

When my son was coming to the high school for the first time, I was scared that he wouldn’t get the help he needed. I felt like he slipped through the cracks and we were never going to get him the type of education he really needed as a child that is on the Autism Spectrum. Tyler was placed with Dr Kopszywa after Thanksgiving break for his freshman year. We were so happy that he was excited about going to her class and that he was starting to learn the skills he needed. My child was coming out of his shell and joined the Eco Warriors club and he also participated in the Work Olympics. We saw such a change in him as he learned more about the skills he would need after high school. He was learning how to cook, work at Warrior Coffee, and other life skills he would need to live independently. This year Dr Kopszywa has been taking the students out a couple of times a week to different places like the dentist office, restaurants, the Kroc Center and William Carey to name a few. They have a full schedule waiting to start up again after the Christmas break. I am so grateful to Dr Kopszywa for reassuring me and wanting to give my child the best possible chance. She is truly one in a million and I am so thankful that she is there for my child. She has made such a difference for Tyler and I don’t know where we would be without her. She deserves to win this award, she has definitely been a life changer for our family. I can’t thank her enough for all she does for us.

Michelle Kearney Posted over a year ago

I agree, Dr. Brandy Kopszwya fits the mold of "LifeChanger of the Year" for ALL of our students at d'Iberville High School. Her ability to build relationships among all of our students and staff allows everyone involved to see that there's no reason to treat students with special needs as if they are "fragile" and should be secluded from mainstream education. The high school I attended was quite the opposite. When I was growing up, special needs students were secluded from the rest of the school at all times and had little to no access to the facilities. Special needs students only came into the building to eat lunch at 10:30 a.m. so they would not cross paths with any other students. It was strange because we were never given the opportunity to show teachers that there are good people out there if you give us a chance, not even in controlled situations. Brandy is allowing relationships to blossom by breaking down barriers so that everyone is comfortable and has experiences to work together so we can see firsthand that there's no reason to treat students with special needs any differently than any other student. Every student has unique strengths and weaknesses and each student learns differently, let's work together to build a community to achieve a common goal and that's EXACTLY what Brandy is doing every single day. She is always looking for ways to involve the community and school in various projects. I oftentimes joke because she never seems to rest, yet always comes into work with a big smile, great energy, and a contagious sense of unity. I don't know how she does it, but she makes it look effortless! Once a week, Brandy brings her students to my classroom so they can cook and learn various skillsets in the kitchen. I love listening to her interactions with the students: she is always very kind, patient, and takes the time to explain everything they are doing. When they're waiting on the food to cook, she will then take that time to go over various equipment in the kitchen or some of the instructional posters displayed on the walls. She asks questions and gives students the time to share their own kitchen experiences at home; most of their stories are so cute that she can't help but laugh, which results in everyone laughing and just having a good time. It's a beautiful thing to witness! I oftentimes find myself thinking that I wish EVERY special needs student could have a teacher like Brandy because she is exactly what they need to be confident, independent thinkers, who are ready for any challenge that comes her way. I'm so lucky to work with such a great colleague who inevitably has become a great friend. She is professional, forward-thinking, and never seems to rest. I am in complete awe of her and I can think of no better person to represent the LifeChanger of the Year award.