LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Chanda Myers was nominated by her colleague, Alana Murphy.

Ms. Myers leads her elementary school with grace and determination. She welcomes all families and students into the school family, no matter what house they live in, what jobs their parents hold, or how they behaved on the walk to school that morning.

Ms. Myers has created a school culture that champions relationships. Her work has proven that feeling connected to each other can make a difference in the lives of students and how they feel about attending school. She has positively added to the development of her school's atmosphere and gives teachers the freedom to design a comfortable, nurturing atmosphere for the students in their classrooms.

Ms. Myers has displayed leadership within her district this year by piloting a program for students with severe behavior problems, high ACEs scores, and other qualifying criteria. Her building is a safe harbor for these children and their families to interact with school staff differently and find common ground to help these students feel safe and loved.

"As these students are slowly tearing the walls down that have protected them, we are seeing their talents and interests emerge as they begin to engage more deeply in social interactions and academic ventures," said Murphy. "Chanda has created a building focused on nurturing our students, so this new classroom program has a whole building of teachers cheering for their success."

Ms. Myers has an excellent performance record as an administrative professional and demonstrates high moral and ethical standards when dealing with students, parents and building staff. She is a great role model for staff to learn from and receive wisdom and guidance on classroom management and instructional questions.