Krysten Irion was nominated by Kiera Vaeena, the parent of two students.
"I have known Krysten for the past four years. She taught sixth grade science to both of my children, one of whom is completing his eighth grade year at JMS," said Vaeena. "The elementary school where my older son came from had a program about farm to school practices and nutrition. I had volunteered in this program and really enjoyed being able to interact with the kids and learn about farming and nutrition."
"When I first became part of the Jarrett Middle School community, I asked the principal whether there was an opportunity to farm or have a similar program," said Vaeena. "He referred me to Ms. Irion, who had planted a small garden on campus to show the students about growing. This was my first impression of Ms. Irion. She's a teacher who makes an effort to provide practical learning outside the classroom and create a powerful, memorable learning experience for her students."
"Throughout the time I have known Ms. Irion, she has consistently gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of the kids she taught," said Vaeena. "About three years ago, I took on a part-time position at JMS as a parent community networking coordinator. As such, my interactions with the teachers greatly increased, and I got to know them as colleagues in addition to reaping the benefits of their hard work in the development of my children. During this time, Krysten has become my favorite teacher."
Ms. Irion has consistently offered herself for the benefit of her students. Former students who are now in high school catch the bus after their school day ends to hang out with her, learn to make smoothies, work on their homework, and help her current students with their homework after school. Those students have benefited from her volunteering to do make-up for the school play, her instruction to make cards and flower lei to sell for the school fundraising fair, and her volunteer leadership of students engaging in environmental data collection projects.
"On a personal note, Krysten has taken time out of her schedule to help both of my sons," said Vaeena. "My older son struggled in his math and language classes in high school. She offered to tutor him for free in between tutoring other kids from other schools. She tutored him, not by giving him information, but by teaching him to grow in his study habits. Krysten was essential in my son getting through his first year of high school with the confidence to move past the challenges of his first year."
"Krysten is a young teacher and I am certain that she will continue to change lives through her instruction of students at Jarrett Middle School and beyond," said Vaeena. "She is a LifeChanger!"
Mrs Irion is really great teacher. She is a very helpful teacher. She cares about her students, she is a very positive and funny teacher. Keep up the good work Mrs.Irion were rooting for you.
She’s the best teacher you could have and she’s always willing to help you even if it takes time out of her day and she doesn’t mind. I would choose her over any teacher.????????
Irion was one of the people who helped me though some tough time with other people at my school. she changed my life fore the better. She awesome and definitely should win!
Ms. Irion is a pretty cool teacher. I had her for sixth grade science but she helps me with other subjects as well such as math. Ms. Irion’s teaching style is very interactive with her students. She gives us incentives to do that help motivate us to do the class work. She makes it fun to learn about science. Her EDP class is really cool. I learned about like the types of bridges & the Challenger spaceship. We also built bridges with toothpicks and had to use fake money to buy the supplies we needed for the bridge. It helped us learn to plan things through and use your supplies wisely.
i had ms.irion as my 6th grade science teacher at jarrett middle school! im now a sophomore at kalani & to this day ms.irion continues to help me and my classmates, as well as older students with math, science, and so much more! when i was in 6th grade ms. irion was the only teacher I felt comfortable telling any of my problems to, she gives great advice and is like the cool aunt everyone wants.Personally, she has changed my life so much by helping me talk about my problems when I didn’t have anyone to talk to. She cares about her students in and out of the classroom and that is what makes her a wonderful person!
Students past and present are always very excited to see Ms. Irion, and that is telling of the love she puts into their education and growth! She gives so much of herself to support her students and their endeavors! You can catch Krysten tutoring students after the final bell rings for the day, volunteering at the snack booth at Jarrett's annual musical, teaching former students how to make friendship bracelets, or just offering her classroom to her students as a place to hang out and feel a sense of belonging. She is also a key member of a partnership between JMS and a local private high school that seeks to empower and raise the life outcomes of students in the Palolo community. Krysten has also supported me personally when I was considering becoming an educator! She shared her personal story of how she chose education as a profession, shared valuable resources, and even allowed me to observe her class for a day. Congratulations on the well-deserved nomination, Krysten!
As a parent of a child that's been a student of Ms. Irion, there are only positive words I can say about her. She does wonderful work and is a dedicated educator that cares about the students she teaches.
I have known Krysten for the past 4...5 years and for as long as I have known her, I have seen her as amazing teacher and colleague because she has helped in expanding the minds of her young students. She also has been one of the biggest contributors in preparing my daughter on her journey through being a Punahou student, but before that she knew my daughter as her 6th grade student and the things that my daughter would tell me about when she got home from school saying, "Mom... MOM! Do you wanna know what I learned in Ms. Irions class today? It was so cool." That level of joy and excitement that she brought to my daughter is one of the many reasons why I respect her as an amazing colleague and teacher.
My daughter said, "Ms. Irion has given me so many great experiences and has taught me so much in the 4 years that I have known her, not only as her 6th grade student, but as a person that was able to prepare me for the experiences and knowledge that I needed to know when entering Punahou. I think that Ms. Irion is a great educator and has given me so much, also her other students. She has taken time out of her schedule to help expand their minds and her students have benefited a lot from this, because of this I really believe that she is a LifeSaver!"
The first year of middle school was very scary for me because it was all so new and I had no idea what to expect. Ms. Irion was so nice and welcoming and it helped me a lot to adjust to the new environment. The first day of class you could tell how much she really cared about our learning and science. I can speak for all my classmates that she was one of our favorite teachers and we would always be like, "Yes! We have Ms. Irion next!" To me science can honestly be kind of boring, but the activities she created helped me learn in a fun way. One time we had to draw different systems of the body on a massive piece of paper, or toy around with programmed mini robots, or separate pasta into different groups to represent scale measurements. I loved Ms. Irions classes because every student in her class wasn't shy to talk to her. For example, my friends and I would eat lunch with her almost everyday and she felt like family. We also helped draw and sell cards at our annual Jarrett Foundation Dinner where we got to meet the mayor! It was an unforgettable experience. Ms. Irion has made middle school feel like a home to me which is why I was confident enough to join Avid and the Musical. Ms. Irion totally deserves this award because she has made my middle school experience amazing!
My daughter is a 7th grader at Jarrett Middle School; she was in Ms. Irion's class in 6th grade. Parenting a child in middle school can be challenging, especially with a daughter; they go through so many physical and emotional struggles while trying to keep focus on their studies. I am fortunate to have Ms. Irion be such a positive influence in my daughter's life. Even after my daughter moved to 7th grade, she would still spend her lunch breaks in Ms. Irion's classroom. I used to ask her "Are you sure you girls aren't bothering her?" She would say no, they help Ms. Irion with projects or just hang out. Ms. Irion loves her students so much that she never turns them away, even if it means giving up her quiet lunchtime. Thank you for giving my daughter the opportunity to make and sell cards; it's helped her come out of her shell! I think Ms. Irion is a "lifechanger" to these young girls because she is an example of a smart, strong, independent, innovative, confident, funloving, and caring person. Thank you Ms. Irion!
Congratulations, Ms. Irion! We all know how much you love your students and love your job! It's the reason you spend so many extra hours obviously helping your students with the curricular work, but also going above and beyond to create community and add to the overall school experience. You tutor, teach lei making, make greeting cards for the annual fundraiser, chaperone events, constantly are thinking about how you can best serve the students, and we KNOW you'll eventually make it into the dunking booth at Jarrett Pride Day! Congratulations for being honored with this recognition! Your students appreciate and look up to you!
Krysten Irion is committed to ensuring equitable education is accessible to all. A lifelong teacher and learner, she consistently encourages growth in all her students, and in herself. While Krysten is definitely an expert in the content she teaches, she is an advocate of community and relationship-building in and out of the classroom. She is committed to her values, speaks and acts for change, and is altruistic in her dedication to upholding the wellbeing of her students. I’m confident that she has made a huge impact in the lives of her students, and she is so deserving of this nomination.
I have known Ms. Irion for a few years and she is amazing! I am extremely proud of her for this nomination! When I was exploring career options she offered to let me shadow her class to get an idea of what teaching is like! It was really nice to see how she interacts with her students. You can tell she cares about them and wants them to do well. Shes always been really helpful whether it was with her students or friends and family. Congratulations on this nomination Krysten!!
Krysten is the perfect candidate for this award. In her new teacher years I was her New Teacher Mentor for one year. She has been a friend, colleague and leader. She has been our 6th grade Team Leader for the last 2 years. She is organized, prepared, flexible and compassionate as a leader and teacher. Krysten is willing to volunteer whenever needed. Unless she is traveling!! Lol. Her travels add to her empathy of understanding cultures and the need to expand her student’s minds. Her classroom is always open to all students. She is a wonderful role model for girls and encourages all her students to dream big. Krysten’s expectations of learning challenges her students to do their best. She is a pillar at Jarrett Middle School to all students and teachers. Not only was she a life changer this year, she is a life changer every year!!!!!
I'm so happy that you've been nominated for the life-changer of the year! Whenever I go back to visit with my friend I'm usually sitting with you in your room, and I remember that time you taught me how to use google sheets. That really saved my bio grade so I'm very thankful for that.
Congratulations Mr.irion, you deserve it!
I am stoked I got to know Krysten a lot better. Now that I have spent more time with her I realized what a cool chick she is. She seems so calm and mellow on the outside but she is extremely thoughtful and selfless on the inside. She has amazing work ethic and pushes the kids hard and makes them love to work. She is also a great friend to have. I really look up to her in an out of the classroom. I am so happy she is part of our team @ Jarrett. If she doesn't win the Lifechanger of the Year, you chose the wrong person!!!
Teacher work days officially start at 8 am and end at 3 pm. Not, for Ms. Irion. She often remains at school to help tutor students, or spend time with students who are looking for an adult to guide and nuture them. In addition, Krysten always participates in school wide events and grade level activities outside of the school day. Krysten has demonstrated the ability to be great as a homeroom teacher, science teacher, department head and grade level chair.
It is the beginning of Krysten's teaching journey and already she has made an impact on so many student's lives. Imagine how many more she will impact. Now that's a life changer!
Krysten is loved by her students! I've known Krysten since middle school, and last year she invited me to talk about my civil engineering profession at the JMT Career Day, which she helped to coordinate. It was a very well organized event starting from the check-in, to the end when the students thanked the volunteers with lei. While I was getting the computer ready to speak in Krysten's classroom, I could not help but notice how much the students loved chit chatting with her at her desk. You could tell they respected her as their teacher but also saw her as someone who was understanding and who they could be themselves around. Even when I'm out at the mall or restaurants with Krysten and we run into her past and current students, they excitedly say "Hi!" and greet her with a hug. It may only be a passing moment but I think it shows a glimpse of how much of a positive impact Krysten has had on them as their teacher.
I have had the opportunity to work with Krysten for this school year at Jarrett Middle School.In this short time I was able to see the huge impact that she makes in our students and school.
At the beginning of the school year I felt overwhelmed by adjusting to a new school, new students and new colleagues. Krysten served as the team lead for my grade level and in throughout the whole year she showed the highest level of leadership and professionalism. I was able to learn how to be a more effective teacher to my students and understand my new duties at Jarrett.
Krysten has also demonstrated the huge impact she has had in our student and our community. Students can often be found in her room before, during lunch and after school enjoying each others company while also catching up on assignments. This is because she has created a safe space for her students to enjoy working together. Krysten also served as the Educational Liaison in our Jarrett Middle School Foundational. She works tirelessly year round to make sure the Jarrett Middle School Foundation is able to plan events to benefit our school and students. This year she helped plan our annual foundation dinner and was able to raise thousands of dollars for the foundation! This money will go directly to helping our school and students!
I strongly recommend Krysten as Life Change of the Year award! She is a wonderful person to work with and an incredible teacher to our students at Jarrett Middle School Thank you for all you do!
Krysten has always been a life changer. Krysten and I were classmates from middle to high school and we have been good friends from that time until now. She has always been involved in teaching and tutoring, whether it's tutoring younger students or helping friends and classmates with homework. One of my earliest memories of Krysten is from middle school when we had math and science class together. I remember her helping me with my math or science homework, which had been my worst subjects at the time. Even back then, she was patient and a great teacher, but most of all, she was kind and encouraging.
Even now, Krysten is a life changer. She cares about her school and her students. She talks about them fondly and goes to support their music performances, even outside of work hours. She is always striving to do more for her students whether it be through her classroom lessons or through her positive attitude or through taking a leadership role as a Grade Level Chair for the school.
Thank you for doing such amazing work, Krysten! I'm so inspired by you as a peer and friend!
I've known Krysten since 2011. I was a Freshman in Whittier College and struggled with literature. She helped me improve my writing skills even though we recently met. Upon obtaining my Bachelor's Degree, she not only helped me with my essay topics during my application process to apply for positions as a Native English Teacher in Japan, but also inspired me to gain perspectives from other countries as she is a frequent traveler. She is always open minded and strives to learn about the differences in culture, age, etc. in which we may not be exposed to in our daily lives. Krysten has this willpower that inspires everyone around her. She genuinely enjoys helping everyone around her in any way that she can whether it's educating me on the importance of a 401k, the various things to start saving for (i.e. a down payment on a house, emergency funds), or educating me on politics in a manner where I am able to understand. She is extremely patient and always makes you feel encouraged and determined to continue excelling. I've seen her run into the international students at malls and watched how excited they are to not only see her, but also to provide updates on their lives filled with accomplishments. She teaches by doing. Giving to others, in any way she can, because she genuinely wants to and enjoys doing is something you can't teach. Regardless of the outcome, I hope she knows that she truly is a life-changer of many lives.
YEASSS YOUUU MS.IRION !!! i’m so happy for you ?????? . keep up the great work, we’re all rooting for you !! much love ??
