LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

McKelette Dowers was nominated anonymously.

For the past 22 years, Ms. Dowers has been baking up batches of first-grade "Smart Cookies." Though she's always believed in the importance of the academic portion of school, she sees equal value in the character and confidence-building aspects. It is always a goal of hers to create a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for her "Smart Cookies," where they feel a sense of belonging, not only to the classroom they are currently a part of, but also to the greater community of the school. When a former student, who is now taller than her and growing facial hair, waves hello in the hallway, it's always such fun to watch her students light up when she says, "He's a Smart Cookie, too!"

Ms. Dowers makes it a goal at the beginning of the school year to find at least one special thing about each of her students, letting them know how wonderful it is to have that talent shared with the class. Their differences are what make the world a more exciting place to live in, what makes progress possible, and what allows them to sparkle. She lets her students know that it is okay to make mistakes, and that her classroom is a safe space to make them, because they can learn and grow together from it.

Another way she encourages a positive environment in her classroom is by creating memorable experiences they can share, and then finding ways for her students to hold on to those far beyond the school year. One of the biggest projects they create during the school year is the "Battu" music video. This is their culminating activity that wraps up the study of the beautiful continent of Africa. After they learn about the animals, people, clothing, and culture, they combine them into a music video. In the past, she would put this video onto a DVD for each student. It always warms her heart when a former student, sometimes now a college graduate, contacts her to tell her they just watched the "Battu" again, and then thanks her for making it.

She also likes to give her students "field trip bags" that fit their Smart Cookie classroom theme. She always smiles when a student comes to tell her, very excitedly, that they saw a kid at their community playground with a Smart Cookie bag, and now they're friends! A final positive bonding craft they do is creating their own personalized Smart Cookie t-shirts. The students create their "cookie doppelganger," and to their surprise, this drawing becomes the artwork on their class Smart Cookie Spirit shirt. These projects are a very important part of building a positive classroom environment.