HUTCHINSON, Kan. — “I am smart, I am kind, I am strong, I am loved.”
That is what Graber Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Melaina Mahoney says with her students before class.
Ad Astra Radio is proud to announce Mrs. Mahoney as this month’s recipient of the Classroom Hero Award presented by Heartland Credit Union.
Each month, Ad Astra Radio honors a different educator, selected from community nominations to receive the Classroom Hero Award and a “hero” gift basket, courtesy of community partners Heartland Credit Union, Midway Motors of Hutchinson, Stutzman’s Greenhouse, Hutch Putt and The Foto Cowboy.
Mrs. Mahoney is a first-year teacher and loves teaching kindergarten at GES.
Mahoney graduated from Hutchinson High School and earned her teaching degree from Kansas State University. During her senior year at Hutch High, Mahoney participated in a teaching program at GES. That opportunity ignited her passion for teaching.
“I was in this very same classroom with the kindergarten teacher that was here before me,” Mahoney said. “I spent an hour here every morning my whole senior year.”
Mahoney tried to student-teach for the same teacher before she graduated K-State, but that didn’t work out, so she taught a different class in the building. The previous kindergarten teacher encouraged her to take her spot once she retired.
When it comes to teaching kindergarteners, Mahoney shared that it’s like they come in with a blank slate, not knowing a lot at first, but then they start learning and getting excited about what they learn.
“They learn so much,” Mahoney said. “Right now, they’ve really started reading and they get really excited when they pick up a book and they’re like, ‘I can read this!’ It’s just awesome.”
Mrs. Mahoney was described in her Classroom Hero Award nomination as a first-year teacher who is “hitting her stride”.
“Under her guidance, I have seen my 6-year-old’s reading abilities take off,” the nominator said. “Aside from her ability to teach, she [Mahoney] instills feelings of self-worth, confidence, and security in her students.”
According to the nominator, Mrs. Mahoney begins class by having her students say, “I am smart, I am kind, I am strong, I am loved.”
“To me it seems that would make a big impact on a kid just starting out in school, one that could set them on a path of lifelong learning and ability to accomplish anything,” the nominator said.
The Classroom Hero Award seeks to highlight the hard work and dedication of those on the front lines of our local schools. Nominations can be submitted at https://www.adastraradio.com/classroomhero/.
Ad Astra Radio has been locally owned and operated since 1986 and is proud to be your hometown radio station.
