Vanessa Montgomery
Position: College Biology and Anatomy
School: Boulder Creek High School
School District: Deer Valley Unified School District
City, State: Anthem, AZ
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Vanessa Montgomery was nominated by a student who wishes to remain anonymous.
Mrs. Montgomery's nominator is always excited for her class. Her classroom is not a stressful environment - it's an exciting challenge that encourages her students to learn. Mrs. Montgomery encourages her students to tackle challenging subject matter with passion. She often tells her students they can do anything they set their minds to.
"She always has a story to tell us. Whether it's a lesson about the dangers of drinking alcohol, or a story about her travels in the Phillippines, we always have some sort of story to associate with a lesson," her nominator said. "I've learned more about healthy eating from her stories of personal experience. Although I'm still working to stop drinking soda, she inspired me to be much more conscientious about diet and exercise."
Her stories inspire students to reach beyond their comfort zones and to dream and achieve more. She remembers each student's future career plans and works to help them achieve their dreams, no matter what they may be.
"I have gone on two field trips to colleges with her, and she is actively helping me find more," her nominator said. "She inspires me every day with her upbeat energy. I may be biased, but it seems like everyone has something good to say about her and her teaching. She changes lives for the better."
Truly one of the most incredible teachers I’ve ever had.
Vanessa and I are more and more often approached in public by her former students, now in college or working as nurses, EMTs, other medical professionals, teachers, and wildlife biologists, who come up and thank her for her devotion and imparting of hands-on knowledge that have led to where they are today. I know this is one of the biggest career rewards for Vanessa. She & I have been married for 27 years; we met while she was teaching ornithology at Texas A&M and completing her Master's Degree in Wildlife Biology. Like myself, she's a former U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. In that capacity, she taught at Mindanao State University in the southern Philippines, for which she was trained by the head of UNESCO Education who helped Vanessa blend a love of biological sciences with a passion for teaching. I recall Vanessa once told me "at age 24, I was teaching parasitology, ornithology, and biology in the tropics and training other teachers -- what more could I ask for?" Since 1984, Vanessa has been teaching a wide variety of biological courses and striving to improve her style, hands-on labs, and use of technology every term. This is a woman who started teaching with a blackboard and chalk and now uses Ipads, apps, Facebook, Canvas, etc. daily in her classroom. Vanessa is always positive and really cares for her students and their learning; if anyone has joy inside them, it is her!
There should be more dedicated teachers. Mrs. Montgomery is a wonderful example of a dedicated and positive instructor! She cares that her students receive an excellent education. She is always prepared ahead of time, and looks for ways to improve upon and inspire her outreach to students.
Mrs. Montgomery is an amazing teacher. Although, I do not have her this year, I had considered having an extra period, just to be in her class, and ask any senior and that’s a big deal. She has inspired me to take up a career and field that I had never considered before. I loved being in her class, and anyone who is lucky enough to have her as a teacher, will leave viewing science differently.
Vanessa Montgomery is so loved and appreciated by her students because she is a brilliant educator who prepares students for success by maintaining high expectations in a nurturing environment. She also devotes hours after school as an adviser to numerous clubs. These clubs encourage students to express themselves creatively or to delve more into the sciences. As a peer and classroom neighbor, I adore her daily greetings, words of encouragement, and smile. Her positive, healthy energy is contagious!
Mrs. Montgomery is an amazing educator, she always goes the extra mile for her students. She has the most positive and helpful personality and is an all around wonderful teacher. Perfect combination of fun and knowledge to inspire her students to success!
Mrs. Montgomery is an amazing teacher and I couldn’t imagine any other teacher who would put up with all the shenanigans that manga club gets into. She is the most enthusiastic teacher to advise our club, I have only been the club for about 3 years and Mrs. Montgomery has been advising us and keeping the club alive to the best of her ability which is amazingly good. The field trips that she plans for us are always amazing and she is always looking for new activities for us to do at club and helping. I’m Vice President of Manga club this year and because I went to the school field trip with the club for the first time this year and helped do some stuff during the trip she has written me a letter of recommendation for college and I can not thank her enough for that.
She is the most “Bodacious” teacher on campus and I wish her only the best in the following life changer of the year award because she has certainly changed my life.
Mrs. Montgomery is the best! She is a cheerful beacon of light that never fails to bring a smile to your face. She is constantly supportive and it is well-known how much her students respect, appreciate, and enjoy her as a teacher. She has a great gift of teaching and she is one of the best role models that Boulder Creek High School has to offer.
Miss.Montgomery is an amazing teacher. She has been the sponsor for manga club for all four years, that I have been at the school. I am the club president for manga this year. She plans field trips, gives us ideas for club actives and lets us use her computer for the club. She always helps me with any questions I have or planing future field trips.I unfortunately never got to be in her dual enrollment anatomy class but I did take a normal anatomy class in my Junior year. I was able to come after school and ask help from her any time. I just like to say I don't know what I do without miss. Montgomery, she gave me help on my homework and gave me a place to go every Tuesday. Thank you so much Miss.montgomery I really do appreciate everything.
She is the best teacher I have ever had. She made Anatomy and Physiology my favorite class to go to everyday. She helped me come out of my shell and really get into the subject. She helped me overcome my fear of disections. By the end of the year, I was the most excited person to dig into the cadavers and dissect. She tried her best to help us all succeed and learn the material. I’m so thankful to have been able to take her class and will never forget her ever.
She is the best teacher there is. She is very involved with all students learning and makes sure everyone's succeeds. She helped me better understand anatomy and helped me realize I want to work in that profession.
Best, most devoted teacher ever
I was a former student of Vanessa Montgomery and in my experience, she is by far the most caring and encouraging instructor that I have ever had the pleasure to learn from. It was her class where I learned my interest in biology and she encouraged me to pursue a future in the field. I am greatful that I was able to be in her classes.
As a close friend of the lucky man who married Vanessa, I've known her almost as long as she's been teaching outside of the Peace Corps. She is exactly as her students describe here. I've never known a professional more dedicated to their calling. Her students' testimonials are better proof of that than I could ever articulate, but I'll add that just breathing the same air as Vanessa inspired me to tackle the confusing puzzle of backyard birding. Now that's a classroom atmosphere worthy of your support!
Vanessa Montgomery is a life changer for so many kids every year. Her dedication in all she does inspires me to do and be my best as well. Congratulations on your nomination Vanessa. You deserve it.
I know Vanessa through her husband, John, a close friend of mine all the way back to University. Although I have only met her a few times, I feel as if I know her intimately through John. Most recently spent an evening with them last year when they were both up here in WA State bird watching and fishing. She is a lovely person, very straightforward and inspirational. Whatever the topic, she speaks with a passion and commitment not often seen. I have no question that she is a wonderful teacher, particularly at the high school level and am certain that she inspires the same passion, curiosity and real life lessons in her students that she herself displays.
Mrs. Montgomery is an excellent teacher! She always cares about the students in the class and cares about their well-being as well. I cannot describe how much she has helped me through my school year and how much I have learned from her. She is an amazing teacher full of knowledge and wisdom!
Vanessa has always been a wonderful educator, ever since the days when I met her as a Peace Corps volunteer in The Philippines. She's passionate about wildlife and her subject, biology, and inspires her students and those around her to love the outdoors. I highly commend her for Life Changer of the Year award.
Vanessa and I worked together in the creation of an environmental group in the Philippines. She helped the group tremendously in seeking diverse and scientific tools to analyze and monitor local environment issues. She taught and encouraged the group to foster inclusion and cooperation. Her cheerfulness and positive thinking is an inspiration to all of us. We all love her!
I had the pleasure of meeting Vanessa three years ago. She is a smart, caring thoughtful person who is always willing to lend an ear.
I have worked with Vanessa Montgomery for the last 8 years and have loved having her as an amazing colleague. She is always positive with teacher, students and admin and usually has a funny joke or quick little rap. She always has a smile on her face and is willing to help anyone with anything. She is always prepared and is organized months ahead with lesson plans, field trips, dissections, professional development and even holiday treats. Her positive and helpful attitude with the students keeps her enrollment high and students rave about how much they have learned in her class! I love that she is so dedicated on our campus with teaching college level Anatomy and Biology, and hosts her Manga and Pre-Med/Nursing clubs. She is involved in every way and truly impacts us all in a positive way!
Mrs. Montgomery is by and far the best teacher I have ever had. She is passionate about her job and towards her students. She exemplifies what every teacher should strive to be! I have never had more fun learning before and I will be hard pressed to ever have that much fun learning again. She deserves this award 10X over and I can't thank her enough for all of her amazing work!
Ms.Montgomery is an amazing anatomy teacher. Her stories have inspired me to pursue the career of my dreams. We went to the Health Soultions ASU tour and we had an amazing learning experience. Thank you Ms. Montgomery.
Mrs.Montgomery has helped me because she is always positive and genuinely loves teaching. She is so passionate about what she does it makes it so interesting to learn. Mrs. Montgomery always has crazy fun activitivites that help me learn
Vanessa Montgomery is such an amazing asset to the Boulder Creek community. Students absolutely love her class and are constantly engaged in higher level thinking. As a teacher and parent here, I cannot wait for my daughter to be in her class next year!
Super organized and inspirational!! I admire her work ethic and commitment to her Biology & Anatomy students! She is a master teacher with well developed lessons that bring life to science concepts. She also goes beyond the classroom to build relationships with students as a sponsor of Manga Club, Bio 100 Club, and PreMed Club.
Vanessa is fabulous. I am her colleague and my daughter is currently taking her Bio 160 class, which she put on her college applications was her favorite class! Why? Vanessa comes in every morning with a smile and a song. She has plenty of energy and you can tell as soon as you walk into her classroom that she loves her job. When we meet with parents she is calm and reassures parents and students that she is there for her students and want only for them to succeed! We are so fortunate at Boulder Creek High School to have her.
Vanessa is a strong passionate teacher who inspires her students to reach out into the world of Science. Her talents include giving students just enough guidance to explore a world of uncertainty with confidence and relentless questioning. I have experienced this as I watched my daughter evolve into a trauma nurse and medic in the United States Army. Vanessa has taught her to use science as an avenue to help others. Her outside teaching hours were spent tutoring, encouraging and pursuing careers in this field. Vanessa gave her words of encouragement while she explored the different sciences and opportunities in the field. Vanessa is well respected among her students because she cares. She provides them with information which extends outside the classroom. She gives students a belief that will forever change their lives and those whom they encounter. Plus, they always come back. Vanessa has changed our family's life and provided us with the next generation who will change lives too. Thank you for being awesome!
SHE IS A GREAT TEACHER WITH OUR STUDENTS THEY ALL LIKE HER AND HER CLASS SHE WORK HARD WITH THE STUDENTS
There is never a dull moment in Mrs. Montgomery’s classroom! Everyday there is a happy atmosphere that provides for perfect thought and learning! There was never a day where I wanted to miss class, each day there was new material to explore and looking back I greatly value the lessons I learned in her class. Not only is Mrs. Montgomery excited to teach everyday, she is so knowledgeable about the subjects she teaches and does it in such a powerful way! Mrs. Montomery taught me how to effectively learn and have fun at the same time! Anyone and everyone should take her class! She had a great influence in my career as a highschool student and I can’t thank her enough for the positive impact she left on my life!
Mrs. Montgomery is always positive. She inspires and helps me all the time. It is so grateful to have a sunshine and supportive colleague to work with!
Vanessa is one of the few that is passionate about being an educator and it is reflected by the praises from all of her students and even the students who couldn't be in her class. Being able to connect with students is a difficult task but barriers are easily torn down with her compassion and never-ending selfless acts to positively impact her students. My daughter who finds fault in every teacher, has yet to say anything negative about Vanessa and in my world that speaks volumes to someone's character. Vanessa is one several nominated and I can't attest to the actions of the other candidates but if every teacher in our district could have the impact on their students as Vanessa does, our education system lead the world in standards and achievements. Teachers like Vanessa not only inspire students in the classroom but also inspire students to become educators and to honor her with this award is as priceless as the impact she has made with her students, especially my daughter.
I am proud to call her a colleague and friend. Vanessa continuously impresses me with her engaging activities for her students and fantastic optimistic outlook! Students RAVE about her classes, and say that they are their favorite courses of their entire high school career! She is the best of the best!
Vanessa Montgomery is my classroom neighbor. She is always happy, optimistic, and gives fantastic advice! She makes my day brighter because she is always willing to share and help her co-workers.
Without Mrs Montgomery, I wouldn’t be giving the patient care that I am because she truly helped me understand the physiology and memorize the anatomy. I only graduated a couple of months ago but she has truly allowed me to grow. She was such an inspiration during my junior year that I decided to stay an hour later my senior year in order to TA for her and get to be a part of her class again.
Mrs. Montgomery has changed my life because she is one of the few teachers I have had that actually enjoys herself while teaching. During sophomore year, (I’m a junior now), while I was deciding on classes, the only one that seemed to stick out to me was anatomy and physiology. I remember my mom saying that that class would be a lot of work and that I may not want to take it because of the dedication that this class needed. But, regardless, I decided to take the class anyways. Taking this class has to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I want to go into the field of forensics when I go to college and she came to me directly and started talking about a field trip later this year that would be a great experience for the work I want to get into. And usually, I wouldn’t expect a teacher to remember small details like this. Mrs. Montgomery loves what she does and it really does show in her teaching. She is all about hands on learning and that scared me at first, but after the first lab I was thrilled to see what the rest of the year would look like. During lecture, she will give personal examples to show how certain things affect the human body. I’ve been on one field trip with her this year and it was really cool seeing how excited she would get when we talked about the nursing program or when we got to the cadaver lab, and I can’t wait for the field trip in November!! She cheers on every student and she is excited to see her students go to college and become doctors, surgeons, etc. I always look forward to her class because of all of the new things I will get to learn!
Mrs. Montgomery was by far my favorite teacher out of all 12 of my years of schooling. I went into her class thinking that it would be the hardest class I’d ever take because it would be a lot of memorizing. She proved me so wrong. She helped me not only in her class but all my classes with all her super funny but very relatable tips. The year I had Mrs. Montgomery was the only year in my previous 2 years of high school that I had all A’s and B’s. The career feild I want to go into has nothing to do what she teaches but she has given me many inspiring words and pushed me to pursue whatever I want. She always told me “you can do anything I put my mind to” and I have put my mind out to be a real estate agent. I love her, I love her awesome and funny ways to cheer me up when I’m down. Most teachers don’t give me a second glance when I’m down but not Mrs. Montgomery she always knows the right thing to say. Mrs. Montgomery deserves this award, I love it win she wins anything she gets all excited and it just makes me feel so happy.
Mrs. Montgomery is a life changer in many ways. Not only does she encourage her students to work hard and keep pushing forward, she always ensures that the time students spend in her classroom is enjoyable. Everyday as I would walk to her class she was always at the door greeting her students with a smile. Each day I would always get so excited to go to BIO 160 because I loved the positive learning atmosphere she creates. I have learned so much more than just how to dissect a body, the structure of bones, and more human anatomy in Mrs. Montgomery's class, I have learned to always take the best out of every situation and have fun in everything that I do. Being in a class where the teacher knew everything about the subject and tried their hardest to keep the students engaged made sitting in a classroom for an hour, 5 days a week, much more enjoyable. Mrs. Montgomery always went out of her way to make sure each student understood what was being taught, and was always actively helping students out during labs. As a former student of Mrs. Montgomery I believe she deserves the Life Changer of the Year nomination because she has impacted mine and many other students lives in many ways that will continue to affect us in our futures.
Mrs. Montgomery has ignited my daughter's desire to become a vet and I thank her profusely! She is an amazing teacher, mentor and all around human being. My daughter, Sarah, has chosen an incredible roll model and if she becomes half as committed, skilled and infectious as Mrs. Montgomery she will be a wild success.
A very happy parent,
Jackie Judge
Ms. Montgomery is a wonderful teacher/ instructor. She has a style of teaching that not many other teachers have. The ability she has to reach every student in a way that makes learning fun. Any field trip that the classes go on, end up being talked about for a long time which enhances the teaching points of every lesson. Ms. Montgomery is known throughout the campus, and most everyone wants to take any class she teaches. She wants everyone to learn and will not stop teaching until the lesson is understood. She arrives early and stays late having study halls if necessary. She is very clear on what is expected in class, which helps prepare everyone for college. In my opinion, she is the most wonderful teacher at Boulder Creek High School.
I love her class. It’s really fun. I enjoy how she teaches and despite the challenge, she will help you through it. She’s supportive to all her pupils and always motivates us.
My daughter had Mrs. Mongomery for class and all she can say was that she learned so much from her. My daughter still speaks of Mrs. Mongomery even after graduating from school in 2012. Thank you for making a difference in my daughters life Vanessa. :)
Mrs. Montgomery is an extraordinary teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend. I am honored to work with her and all of her students love her classes. She is one of the most organized, motivated, and down-to-Earth teachers we have at our school. She truly deserves this award.
I work with Vanessa Montgomery at Boulder Creek High School and I am inspired daily by her love and dedication to the teaching profession. She is always giving 100% to her job and her students. She doesn't just want her students to have experiences for the medical profession in the classroom but she takes them into the real world, where they get hands on experiences and make valuable connections with professionals actually on the job. Many of Mrs. Montgomery's students end up in the medical profession due to her motivation for them to learn and appreciate what is taught in her classroom. Vanessa is a spunky, intelligent and a sophisticated lady with a heart of gold. All of the staff and students that come into contact with her would agree. I value the opportunity to work along side her.
Vanessa Montgomery is one of the most incredible individuals I have had the privilege to work with. She is incredibly enthusiastic about her content area and shares this with her students. It is evident she loves her subject area and loves what she teaches. I have worked with Vanessa for 3 years and have never heard one negative comment from the students. She exudes respect and expectations to her students and they in turn rise to her expectations with a sincere attitude of respect. Vanessa deserves this award not only because she is amazing at the subject she teaches, but because she is in the business of changing the world one student at a time.
I started working in the same department as Vanessa half a year ago. I was a brand new teacher, fresh out of school, and her expertise has helped me improve class for my students. She is always willing to provide template for lessons, and is the main reason I am as organized as I currently am, and that level of organization has helped my students prepare for assessments. She has always been available to give me advice on classroom management and has made my first year of teaching wonderful.
Mrs. Montgomery has changed my life because she practices what she preaches. I have had two of her classes, and through that time, I have learned how healthy of a person she is. I was inspired to make changes in my lifestyle because I see how healthy she lives. During lessons on nutrition, for example, she is able to teach us better than some health teachers because she has (in my opinion) mastered living healthy. I have successfully and permanently increased how much water I drink daily (significantly), am increasing my calcium intake because of my family history of osteoporosis and osteopenia (which I learned more about during our bone unit, where we learned that women need to increase calcium before pregnancy, and many more facts), how much sleep I get, and plan to never reverse these changes by drinking alcohol, soda, or energy drinks. I have even started giving up doughnuts because of how she says “I haven’t had a doughnut or alcohol in over 15 years!” These are just the changes she has made on my lifestyle, so you can imagine how many positive changes she has made on my academic life. She is my favorite teacher, and as I constantly say, my favorite person because of her personality and presence in my community.
