LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Melissa Artz was nominated by a family member, Julie Warr.

"Mrs. Artz is awesome! If you are looking for a teacher who looks outside the box to find ways to educate children so they can be productive citizens in the community, you have come to the right place in Mrs. Artz's class. She provides an exciting classroom atmosphere and gains the student's attention to the lesson being taught. Students who have gone on to the next grade see her in the hallway, saying they missed her and want to return to her class to learn more," said Warr.

"She had taught students from Kindergarten to twelfth grade with hearing impairment. She has worked with all types of children in the least restrictive environments, including inclusion, resource, one-on-one instruction, and remedial classes. Mrs. Artz works with remedial education program (REP) classes for seventh-grade students. She teaches these students using small, direct group instruction to smaller classes and motivates students to excel in their math abilities. She expects her students to raise/improve their math GA Milestones scores by the end of this year," said Warr.

"Mrs. Artz focuses on the positive aspects of all of her students. When you give students positive feedback and build their self-esteem, they grow and attempt to learn what is expected of them. Mrs. Artz always looks at her students to motivate them to push forward and do their best. She helps other teachers by being a resource of ideas to use in lessons and works well with her colleagues. Mrs. Artz has worked with some of the teachers around the state at the state level on the Milestones standards during the summer. She teaches sign language at Thomas University a couple days a week during the school year. Mrs. Artz is on a committee for Deaf Education at Valdosta. Mrs. Artz is this year's Thomas County District Teacher of the Year. She is a wonderful LifeChanger," said Warr.