LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Barbara Rodgers was nominated by an acquaintance who wishes to remain anonymous.

Ms. Rodgers has worked diligently to improve the library at every school she has served in. She collaborates with teachers on many subjects. She has consistently provided interventions for struggling readers and has had success with improving reading scores for low achievers.

When Ms. Rodgers sees a need, she finds a solution. When she saw students with no coats in freezing temperatures, she organized a coat drive and provided needy children with coats. In another instance, one of the elementary school students at her previous school was involved in a house fire.  She used her quilting hobby to make a special quilt for the student to use while her family was displaced and living with extended family. At Christmas, she helped organize teachers to provide anonymous gifts to needy students.  They provided new shoes, coats and bicycles to several families.

Ms. Rodgers always wants to go outside the school and classroom to meet the needs of the community whenever possible.  She currently sponsors the student news at her high school campus and wants to see her students succeed and attend college upon graduation. To that end, she provides encouragement and help for them. She has had grants approved to provide books in order to encourage students to start their own personal library at home. Ms. Rodgers believes that every student should have books in their home.  She was once awarded a box of books through a program called First Books that weighed one ton! She distributed these books to students at various community and school events. 

Ms. Rodgers was awarded the Peggy May Award from Mississippi Library Association in 2016 for her efforts in library advancement in the state of Mississippi. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa and works on the membership committee to honor other teachers and provide scholarships for future teachers enrolled in a university teacher education program.