LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Krysten Irion

Position: Sixth Grade Science Teacher
School: Jarrett Middle School
School District: Hawaii Public Schools
City, State: Honolulu, HI

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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 powerful, memorable learning experiences 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 helping my son get 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!"

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Comments (5)

Isabelle Posted over a year ago

I have had Ms. Irion since the 6th grade. I'm in the 8th grade and so far she has been one of the best teachers that I have had. In 6th grade, I learned about many different science topics like matter and energy. Ms. Irion was always enthusiastic and expected us to do our best. I could tell that she loved teaching science and that she loved us. In 6th grade she took a small group of me and my classmates to a science demonstration day on the weekend. We had fun learning about topics from older students and we got to see another school's campus. Ms. Irion also helped us with science fair and we presented at a science symposium with many other schools. For these different events, Ms. Irion It's clear that she is proud to be a teacher and proud to be our teacher. I will really miss Jarrett and Ms. Irion next year.

Levi L Posted over a year ago

I had Ms. Irion 2 years ago as a 6th grader at JMS. Ms. Irion taught science and Engineering Design Process. I enjoyed Ms. Irion's class because she was so enthusiastic about learning and science. She made learning science fun and she had interesting people come to talk to us about science and engineering. I remember we worked with college students from University of Hawaii's College of Engineering program to build a truss bridge and we did EDP challenges with them. Ms. Irion had asked the college students to come to JMS and they told us about getting into college and taking engineering classes. It was interesting to learn what it was like to be a college student at UH and the college students were really fun to work with. They came back a few times and even taught us how to make concrete.

Charisa Ruth Selifis Posted over a year ago

I think ms.irion is such a great teacher. She knows how to deal with kids and she has a good sense of humour. She's always staying late for the people who need help, and is always rewarding and motivating us. I enjoy being in her class a lot, to the point where I really hope we have her next year. She is very smart and wise. Shes filled with laughs and jokes but can be serious as well. Thank you Ms.Irion for willing to deal with us students, even when we give you hard times!

Dante Hanawahine-Vazquez Posted over a year ago

I want to thank Ms. Irion for teaching me math this year. She has been so patient when I didn't know how to complete an assignment. She walks me step by step on how to do everything this year. Again, I just want to thank her for being such a great teacher and being the best she can be during these times. I know it may be hard to be a teacher in general but now during Covid, but it is even harder to teach because it is harder to hear each other with our masks on and have to stay six feet apart from each other. My classmates and I have been back in school for a few months now, full-time. I know that it is difficult for the teachers, but Ms. Irion still teaches me a lot and does things to help us learn. So thank you for continuing to teach me even through these hard times.

Brayden Arakaki Posted over a year ago

I am so happy to have a teacher like Ms.Irion. She is the kindest and smartest teacher in are grade level. She is very kind and likes to help people if they are having trouble with there math assignments. Ms.Irion really knows what she is doing when it comes to the things that we are learning. Her was of teaching is very understanding. for the most part its east to follow what sh is doing and if people don't understand we can freely ask her for help if needed. I feel like you should pick this teacher for all the things that she has done for me and many other students in my grade.