LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Nancy Libbee was nominated by Dominique Turner, a former student.

"Ask any former student to name the most influential teacher/educator from their time in school. We all have one, maybe a few. The one who always comes to my mind is Nancy Libbee. She is the true definition of a LifeChanger. She's an educator who is passionate about her students inside and outside of the classroom," said Turner.

"My husband and I are both former students of hers. We often joke about which of us was her favorite. It was me, but I like to let him think it was a close decision. Even though we did not have her in the same year, we both had similar experiences and benefited from her love of teaching and being unafraid to reach for the stars," said Turner.

"When I met Ms. Libbee, I was quiet and lacked confidence. I was not the type to raise my hand in class or volunteer for tasks outside of my comfort zone. During my senior year of high school, I would have been perfectly fine skating through and never coming out of my shell. Ms. Libbee refused to let me stay in my comfort zone. She saw something in me, and she made it her mission to make me see myself differently," said Turner.

"I've always loved English, and I didn't think a teacher could make me fall in love with reading and writing even more. One of my favorite parts of her class was the book selections. We read several books from different voices, cultures, and genres throughout my senior year. Even though I knew she was being intentional about diverse reads back then, it didn't hit me until years later when I wrote my first book and didn't see much representation when it came to black authors," said Turner. "My husband and I still talk about her efforts to expose us to diverse voices."

"I will never forget her enthusiasm when she introduced one of her favorite writers to the class—Leonard Pitts Jr. We took time reading some of his articles, and I grew to enjoy his writing, as well. When I was a student at Scarlet Oaks, every senior had to complete a senior project, which involved students interviewing two people within their desired profession. It brings a smile to my face remembering how confidently Ms. Libbee tossed out the idea for me to interview Leonard Pitts Jr for my project and how I thought it was completely out of my grasp. Before I knew it, we were sending him an email to inquire, to which he gracefully agreed. We were over the moon! We set up a time for us to chat during the time I had Ms. Libbee's class, and the entire class was able to listen in. By the end of the interview, we learned of his new book that was just released, and we decided that it would be the senior read for that year. A few months later, he walked the halls of Scarlet Oaks to partake in a small discussion of his book with some of my peers. To think I went from doubting myself to meeting one of my favorite writers—all because Ms. Libbee dared to reach for the stars. It's a moment I will always cherish when I think about my time at Scarlet Oaks," said Turner.

"Even after I left her classroom—nearly thirteen years ago—her support, love, and passion for seeing students succeed have only grown. She has not only supported me when I published my first novel, but she has also used it within her classroom. Over the years, she has sent me numerous resources, conferences, and articles, and she checked in to make sure I was still writing. She has helped me edit manuscripts, including my first children's book. After having my daughter, she contributed many classic children's books to her library. Ms. Libbee is certainly considered family," said Turner.

With almost 40 years of experience as an educator, Ms. Libbee has been named Teacher of the Year, recognized nationally for HSTW Literary Awards for improving reading scores at Scarlet Oaks, and was responsible for earning her former school (in South Carolina) a Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award. Ms. Libbee was responsible for the first foreign student exchange with students from Argentina, and she traveled to Munich for the Great Oaks Teacher exchange program. 

"As Ms. Libbee prepares to hang up her hat as a traditional educator, I have no doubt that she'll continue to reach for the stars. I'm eternally grateful to her for teaching and pushing me to do the same," said Turner.