Red Mountain Elementary School Title 1 site coordinator and vice principal Jay Porter has been nominated for the 2016-2017 national LifeChanger of the Year award.
Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, the national LifeChanger of the Year program recognizes and rewards K-12 public and private school educators and employees across the United States who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence, and leadership.
Porter was nominated by his principal, Amy Mitchell.
“Jay Porter is the heart of Red Mountain Elementary School,” Mitchell said. “He has a positive influence that spills over into the community.”
Porter has found unique ways to teach and motivate the school’s high at-risk population. To reward and reinforce good behavior, he arranged snowball fights, a treasure hunt, bingo games, pie-eating contests, and walking trips to a local ice cream store. He also organized an annual summer camp for his students, found odd jobs for them at school, and arranged free counseling workshops for parents.
Outside of the school, Porter volunteers with the Big Brother Big Sister organization and serves as a Secret Santa each year, delivering toys to families in need. Beyond Ivins, he even handed out bags of food to the homeless while visiting San Francisco for a convention with colleagues.
Each school year, the LifeChanger of the Year program receives hundreds of nominations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2016-2017, there will be a total of 15 individual LifeChanger of the Year awards. In addition, a 16th prize, the “National Spirit Award,” is given to the school and nominee whose community demonstrates the most support for his or her nomination. Each winner will receive a cash award that is split between the individual winner and his or her school. The national Grand Prize award is $10,000. Winners are announced via surprise award ceremonies held at their schools. The top five winners will also be honored at a national awards ceremony in Naples, Florida. Winners will be announced in spring 2017.
Winners will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of former winners and education professionals. Nominees must be school district employees. Award winners are selected based on the following criteria:
—A proven ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of students.
—An ability to positively add to the development of the school’s atmosphere.
—Is involved in leadership activities at the school and/or community level.
—A demonstrative record of excellent performance at the professional level.
—A commitment to producing a nurturing atmosphere.
—Adherence to high moral and ethical standards.
The LifeChanger of the Year program begins accepting nominations in early June so that graduating seniors have the opportunity to give thanks by nominating a teacher or school employee who helped shape their academic careers or touched their lives in a special way. Parents of graduating seniors can nominate someone who played a significant role in their children’s education.
LifeChanger of the Year is a program funded and run by National Life Group and the National Life Group Foundation. National Life Group is a Fortune 1000 company and a diversified group of financial services companies that offer life insurance, annuities, mutual funds and estate, business succession, and retirement planning strategies
A resource page with ideas for how to celebrate nominees can be found at lifechangeroftheyearnominees.com/showspirit.
To view Porter’s LifeChanger of the Year nominee profile or to nominate someone from your school community, visit LifeChangeroftheYear.com.
