LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Ginger Abney was nominated by a friend, Jimmitriv Roberson. 

Ms. Abney is a ninth-year kindergarten teacher. She also serves as the parent and family liaison, a mentor teacher, the kindergarten lead teacher, a master/lead Teacher, an LER observer, an after-school tutor, a member of the instructional leadership team, a K-2nd content leader, the coronation choreographer, and a progress monitoring kindergarten interventionist. Ms. Abney was also a 2021-2022 Louisiana Teacher of the Year Semifinalist. She wears several hats, and she wears them all with grace, pride, and dedication.

"Ms. Abney's story is a little different and unorthodox, in that she was awarded the 2025-2026 LifeChanger of the Year Spirit Award. She received so much support from her community because she sincerely is a LifeChanger. The amount of love and support she received is merely a testament to the substantial impact she has on not only students but also all those who come into contact with her. That's why I'm nominating her. Ms. Abney is the epitome of a LifeChanger, and she deserves this recognition," said Roberson.

"I am a former co-worker of hers. I've seen her work tirelessly at the school and in the community before, during, and after school. She gives selflessly to her students each year for every holiday and special occasion. She assembles care packages for them when they go on breaks, and she even showers them with rewards for their growth. In the summer, she gathers materials, school supplies, snacks, and gifts for all her upcoming students, welcoming them into her classroom. She also does this to ensure that every child in her class has everything they need for a wonderful, productive kindergarten journey. When students leave Ms. Abney's kindergarten classroom, they are very well-equipped and prepared for the first grade," said Roberson.

Ms. Abney's methods are always effective, engaging, and exciting. Students have grown from low achievement to consistently demonstrating high achievement. She has grown her current students' scores drastically. Her state progress monitoring scores are absolutely outstanding. For instance, only 28% of her students were on benchmark when they arrived in August. By April, over 80% of them were on benchmark, and 100% of her students' scores improved. She not only improved her students' scores, but contributed to the growth of her fellow kindergarten teachers' scores. She served as an interventionist for the "below benchmark" students in the other classes, and all of their scores grew as well.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Abney dedicates her time, energy, gifts, and efforts, not only to assisting students, but to supporting other teachers and members of the faculty. She's changing the lives of the youth and the adults, both at school and in the community. She mentors teachers with care and compassion. She stays after school to choreograph dances for the elementary and high school coronations. She teaches dance at her church. She gives to the less fortunate and leads with passion, humility, and purpose. She shares her experiences with others and helps them to achieve success. She serves as the parent and family liaison (and has for 3 years) because she values community.

Ms. Abney also loves to involve families and community members because she knows their value in students' lives. She teaches the students life lessons and how to be good citizens, and has even taught two other schools in the district virtually while simultaneously teaching her own students when everyone returned from the pandemic.

"Ms. Abney is and has always been a LifeChanger, and it is my absolute honor to nominate her for the National Life Group LifeChanger of the Year Award," said Roberson.