On Feb. 16, Principal Travis Willard announced journalism teacher, Kelly Delgado, as Teacher of the Year. A lot of teachers work hard, but Mrs. Delgado is the kind of teacher who truly stands out.
“When I found out I was chosen for Teacher of the Year, I was definitely shocked because there are so many teachers who have been here for a long time, and that I personally look up to,” Delgado said. “So, it was definitely a surprise when I found out my peers voted for me out of all people.”
When asked about how she runs her classroom, Delgado understands that she is a young teacher but says that she used that to her advantage when it comes to interacting with her students.
“I’ve always had a good ability to talk and relate to students because of my age,” Delagdo said. “I really do pride myself on the connections and relationships I’m able to make with my students.”
This is Delgado’s third year at Randall, teaching yearbook, broadcasting, journalism, photojournalism, and creative writing. She says that becoming a journalism teacher was perfectly aligned with what she wanted to do with her career.
“I started to think about becoming a journalism teacher when I started to have a yearbook class at River Road,” Delgado said. “I thought that it wouldn’t be for another 10 years that I would be able to teach journalism, but then the job opened up at Randall, and it all worked out beautifully.”
Delgado’s students recognize how deserving she is of this award and say that no matter the day, she keeps them motivated and gives them a safe space to go.
“Over the past three years of having Mrs. Delgado as my teacher, she has truly made me fall in love with journalism,” senior Maddy Myles said. “She makes her classroom a place where students feel encouraged to grow, try new things, and believe in their abilities, and has been such a mentor not only to me but to so many others.”
Delgado says that there are moments in her classroom where things can get overwhelming or stressful, but she is the type of person who is always able to come up with a solution, no matter the problem.
“I have always been very self-motivated, so if things in the classroom get stressful, I know that I will figure it out,” Delgado said. “I also am very lucky with students who want to be here and hustle, so I know that even if we do start to struggle a little bit, we can always get it worked out as a team.”
Delgado said she is very grateful not only for this opportunity, but most of all for her peers who thought of her for this award.
“It is such an honor to have my peers choose me for this award,” Delgado said. “I work with some of the best people in education, and I can’t believe they voted for me. I’m grateful.”
