Kathleen Leeper (Photo courtesy of Midland ISD)
H-E-B suprises Midland teacher with big honor, and big check
With a large check in tow, H-E-B representatives made a surprise visit to Kathleen Leeper’s classroom at Legacy High School in Midland on Monday, March 20.
Leeper, who teaches Life Skills at Legacy High, was chosen as a finalist to receive H-E-B’s Excellence in Education award for Leadership. As part of the honor, H-E-B donated $1,000 to her and another $1,000 to the school.
“When I saw H-E-Buddy come through the door, I knew something special was about to happen,” said Leeper.
Leeper was nominated for the award this year by a fellow teacher in the Leadership category, which honors educators with 10 to 20 years of experience. This is the second time Leeper has been an Excellence in Education finalist, having previously been nominated by a student’s parents in the Rising Star category during her time as a special education teacher at Milam Elementary.
Leeper has worked 13 years in special education, the past six at LHS, and says she was drawn to special education because she has a special needs child herself. She is dedicated to helping students overcome the false idea that they have plateaued.
“The goal of Life Skills classes is to train them to have good lives,” Leeper said. “It’s our job to not give up on them and think that they’ve plateaued.”
“We, as adults, are never done learning,” she added. “If we can learn new things, so can our kids. We teach them wherever they are.”
The H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards were created in 2002 to honor outstanding public school professionals and to thank them for their dedication and commitment. Since the program’s inception, H-E-B has awarded nearly $13 million in funding to benefit outstanding Texas public schools and Early Childhood facilities.
Winners will be announced at the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards ceremony April 30 at the La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio.
