Summit special-needs teacher honored

Three teachers out of 150 nominees were selected as winners of the Texas Trust Golden Gratitude Giveaway, which recognizes educators who are making outstanding contributions in the classroom.

Nominations came from students, parents and other educators. The winners included a first-year teacher and two veteran educators.

Each Golden Gratitude Giveaway winner received two tickets to every public performance at the Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie through May 2024.

The winning teachers are Raul Rodriguez from Kayla De Mouchet of Mansfield Summit High School, Cedar Hill Collegiate High School and Mary Cavazos of Grand Prairie High School.

From Mansfield, 15-year veteran teacher De Mouchet was selected as a Golden Gratitude winner for her dedication and commitment to teaching ninth through 12th grade special-needs students. Her students range in age from 14 to 22 and have varying levels of academic and cognitive skills. Her school principal noted that “Kayla demonstrates a great deal of care, patience and love for her students. She is always an encouragement to them and continuously looks for programs, projects and opportunities for her students that offer teachable moments."

Rodriguez just completed his first year of teaching Algebra I and II to ninth and 10th grade students. He also tutored eighth-grade students outside of class hours. Rodriguez was nominated by a community member who noted, “Raul goes above others. He is constantly working with students outside of class hours to prepare them for tests or provide extra tutoring and coaching, as well as supporting them when they go through hardships. His class is fun and engaging and he connects well with his students and genuinely cares and wants to see each of them succeed."

Cavazos has been passionately instilling creativity into students for more than 20 years as the art teacher at Grand Prairie High School. She is also the current president of the school’s student LULAC organization. Cavazos was nominated by a former student who said, “Ms. Cavazos is such an understanding teacher who taught us how to express ourselves through art. She provided a comforting learning environment for all students. I have amazing memories from her class."

These teachers were selected based on their impact in the classroom and dedication to building brighter futures for their students.

“The nominations we received show that our schools are filled with amazing teachers,” said Heidi Hardy, Vice President of Public Relations at Texas Trust Credit Union. “It was a difficult task to narrow down the list to only three winners.”

Hardy added, “Teaching is full of challenges and we truly appreciate the contributions all dedicated teachers make in the lives of their students.”

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