LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Holly Vitek was nominated by her colleague, Ashley Fennell.

When Ms. Fennell heard about LifeChanger of the Year, she immediately thought of first grade teacher Holly Vitek. Ms. Vitek previously worked as an Education Specialist, but determined that the classroom was where she belonged.

"She has said, if she won the lottery, she would still want to come work with the children," Fennell said. "That’s a teacher who loves their job and is making a difference!"

Ms. Vitek is the type of teacher who instills a love of learning in students. She greets students in the morning with a beaming smile and a "good morning" as she checks attendance. Ms. Vitek truly cares for each student, and her desire is to see them grow and reach their full potential. Her enthusiasm for teaching makes students excited to learn. She believes that students need to move and that exercise not only gets their blood pumping, but makes them a successful learner. She adds in "movement breaks" throughout her day and never makes the students sit for long periods of time. They understand that when she is talking, they are listening and learning. She often works out at lunch and teaches her students the importance of physical activity and overall health. Not only does she encourage and model exercising, she also ties in nutrition to her lessons.

Mason Elementary School has a garden on their school grounds, and Ms. Vitek often takes her students on an adventure to find bugs, worms and caterpillars along the way. She brings them into the classroom to study their environment, nutrition and behaviors.

"This is what her students remember, these moments that would otherwise be missed sitting at a desk listening to the teacher lecture," Fennell said. "Ms. Vitek encourages her students to discover the world around them, learn to appreciate nature, and care for the environment."

Ms. Vitek teaches her students about different foods that grow in the garden, as well as how to harvest and properly clean them. She introduces healthy foods that many of her students have never tried. Along the way, she teaches them to have manners, try new things, and broaden their diet to healthier options.

"I'm sure all her students will remember when she cracked open a honeydew to discover the seeds inside," Fennell said. "They got to decorate their own pots and plant a seed from the melon. They learned the process of seed to plant and the elements necessary to its survival. These are the lessons that they will remember, learn from and will share with others."

Ms. Vitek has a great sense of humor and a light-hearted personality that makes it fun to be in her class. One of her greatest phrases, in Fennell's opinion, is that it's ok to make mistakes. She teaches the idea that life is full of mistakes, and everyone makes them. She encourages students to have humor, laugh out loud, and enjoy life. Ms. Vitek also has parties to celebrate student successes, where children are rewarded for their hard work and progress. She is fully engaged in making these parties fun for students, and even dresses up to serves healthy snacks. The success rate of Holly's students speaks for itself.

"Students make leaps and bounds of progress in her class because she's a LifeChanger whom her students will treasure forever," Fennell said. "Thank goodness for life-changing teachers like her who make learning one big adventure. For the dedication, time spent thinking of fun activities for the students, and for pouring her heart out for each and every child in her classroom, we thank her!"