By Brenna Eller
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ad Astra Radio is proud to announce the most recent recipient of the Classroom Hero Award presented by Heartland Credit Union.
Lauren Denison is a first-year teacher and teaches 4th grade at Morgan Elementary School.
Morgan Elementary is where Denison’s education began. She later graduated from Hutchinson High School and then earned her degree from the University of Kansas.
Each month, Ad Astra Radio honors a different educator, selected from community nominations, to receive the Classroom Hero Award, along with a “hero” gift basket, courtesy of community partners Heartland Credit Union, Midway Motors of Hutchinson, Stutzman’s Greenhouse, Hutch Putt and The Foto Cowboy.
Denison shared that her favorite part about teaching is to see her students start to understand and how the process is able to boost their confidence.
“I love connecting with the students and building those connections, and then seeing when they actually understand what we’re talking about,” Denison said. “And you see that little lightbulb go off.”
Ms. Denison was inspired to become a teacher by those who taught her growing up.
“I struggled quite a bit in school,” Denison said. “And I had teachers who helped boost that confidence for me.”
Ms. Denison was described as a “superstar” in an anonymous nomination submitted to Ad Astra Radio.
“She teaches my 4th grader, and he LOVES going to school each day because of her,” the nominator said. “You can tell she deeply cares for her students and helping them grow each day.”
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/classroom-hero.
Ad Astra Radio has been locally owned and operated since 1986 and is proud to be your hometown radio station.