LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Apryl Cisneros was nominated by her principal, Osbaldo Jimenez.

"Ms. Apryl has the proven ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of her 2nd-grade students. She understands they spent their two most formidable years confined to distant learning norms due to the pandemic. Ms. Apryl comes to work every day determined to make up for some of the lost experiences that the pandemic caused this age group—the last group of students to experience distant learning," said Jimenez.

"Ms. Apryl's classroom is where students engage in fun and interactive activities requiring them to speak in groups, present to each other, and collaborate on projects, including grading and critiquing each other's work. Students can be heard respectfully problem-solving with each other, and every task turns into a class conversation. Ms. Apryl was determined to ensure that the pandemic did not adversely affect her students' social speaking, presenting, and public speaking skills, and as a result, her room is filled with confident, brilliant, caring, and exuberant orators who love to interact and speak. Ms. Apryl successfully undid the harmful effects that learning through Zoom in a lonely room, without classmates and social experiences, can have on students," said Jimenez.

"Ms. Apryl is an amazing teacher who has put much effort into providing her students valuable life experiences. To undo the deficits created by the pandemic, she has organized eight field trips this year alone! Ms. Apryl firmly believes that these trips are crucial in helping her students make up for the missed experiences of the past years. She has taken her enthusiastic group to a modern rendition of Snow White at the theatre, sang along with the Broadway musical The Lion King at Segerstrom, walked with Peacocks at the Irvine Regional Park Nature Center, learned about tree life cycles at Coldwater Canyon Park, explored ecosystems at the LA Zoo, appreciated world-renowned art at LACMA, roamed with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, and even sailed the seas on the USS Iowa Pacific Battleship. In addition, Ms. Apryl's class hosted an Engineering Carton Exhibit in which students had to create machines, devices, or tools using only cardboard. Her class will also host the I MATTER Expressive Art Exhibit in late May," said Jimenez.

"Ms. Apryl is passionate about social-emotional learning and arts education, and she has collaborated with an art grant to expand these programs to the entire school community. Over a week, she has led art workshops for parents and students, focusing on creativity, gratitude, mindfulness, nature, and cognitive enhancement through acrylic paints, paint brushes, and blank canvasses.  As with everything she does, this was a success for almost 200 stakeholders," said Jimenez.

"Ms. Apryl has a proven ability to make a beneficial difference in students' lives. The learning experiences, friendships, meaningful trips, and diverse projects her students have experienced with her have forever changed their lives. These experiences will make them excellent future teachers and lifelong learners," said Jimenez.