LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Christina Bekken was nominated by her colleague, Shayla McNiven.

Ms. Bekken is one of the kindest, most helpful, and positive educators you could meet. She is always looking for ways to help her students academically and emotionally. She's the first person to volunteer to help with an activity or project. She's incredibly hard-working as one of the seventh-grade science teachers and as a club sponsor. She goes above and beyond to make sure her class is enjoyable and fun.

Ms. Bekken always does activities such as weather balloons, coordinating the seventh-grade trip to Yellowstone National Park, and several other activities that students talk about long after middle school. As the sponsor of Future Farmers of America (FFA), she volunteers her time and effort to help students learn about farming and ranching. FFA has been a great feeder program that has increased the number of participants in the high school agriculture program and classes. As part of FFA, she does a lot of fun projects like growing a botanical garden, community service projects, and of course, a staff appreciation breakfast during FFA week. 

"Christina is the most amazing colleague and team player. She's always willing to let the other counselors and I come into her classroom to teach kids about coping with stress and the dangers of vaping in health class. Together, we promote a positive environment with her homeroom students through projects of gratitude and service, and we also talk about college scholarships and careers in the 8th-grade classes. It really stands out that Christina is so willing to work with other staff members and me when needed. I really appreciate it," said McNiven.

Additionally, Ms. Bekken is critical to helping the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team. She always has donations for the store, especially the mystery bags, which the students love! She supports using the PBIS system in her classroom, which is critical to making a system like that work. She seeks out ways to motivate students and reward them. When students leave her classroom, you can tell that they feel valued.

"I have several parents and students request to be in her seventh-grade homeroom because she makes it such a positive environment," said McNiven. "Christina is not only a phenomenal teacher but an all-around wonderful, kind, hard-working human being!"