LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kerri Aman was nominated by her colleague, Trisha Woods.

A majority of students at Dover Elementary School are at or just above the poverty level, and 97% of the students are on free or reduced lunch. Roughly 70% of the students do not have technology at home for educational use. Because their experience with technology is limited to exposure at school, students are not familiar with computer navigation, and are unable to use technology for creative and innovative purposes.

"Our media specialist, Mrs. Aman, is dedicated to preparing our students for life," Woods said. "This is evident through the multitude of technology opportunities she has provided for our students which will allow them to be college and career ready."

Two years ago, Mrs. Aman led the committee for the Jimmy Johnson Foundation's "Team Up for Technology" grant, earned by the school. Through this grant, the school received $48,000 to purchase technology for the classrooms. Mrs. Aman also worked with her principal to receive matching funds from Hillsborough County. She spent time with teachers to determine the needs of their classrooms and students.

Last year, Mrs. Aman was a recipient of the Laura Bush Foundation Library Grant, which made a significant impact on the number of resources available in the media center. She also assists teachers by writing grants to obtain more materials, and she seeks professional development opportunities in technology to help teachers improve their skills. These efforts lead to more successful student learning experiences.

Mrs. Aman believes that all children should be able to easily access books. Dover Elementary School now has a “Free Little Library” outside of the school so that students can grab a book and read any time they want. They can choose a book, share a book, and return a book to the case so that other students can do the same.

Each year, Mrs. Aman works with Alafia Elementary School to run a book drive. The books collected can be given away during Dover’s Reading Night to all of the students and their families. The media center is open every Monday for parents to come in and learn more about technology and the programs their children are using at school. She believes that the families of the students are important, and provides a place for parents who do not have access to technology. Mrs. Aman cultivates a feeling of confidence in the ELL parents by providing them with the opportunity to learn.

Every morning, Mrs. Aman provides an enrichment club for students in second through fifth grade. The students are exposed to different programs and coding as part of the program. She has also organized a Reading Bowl for every grade level in the school to ensure that all students are motivated to read throughout the year. Media lessons are held on a monthly basis, and Mrs. Aman collaborates with the teachers to incorporate technology and research into classroom instruction.

"Our Media Specialist, Kerri Aman, knows that literacy and technology can bring a higher level of student engagement and achievement," Woods said. "This is so incredibly important for a population such as the one we have at Dover Elementary. Imagine making an impact on a student to the degree that they can succeed academically and break the cycle of poverty. Mrs. Aman is making that impact!"