HVS educator is 'Teacher of the Year'
'When we started school this year, I told you that you had the best teachers anywhere'
HVS educator is 'Teacher of the Year' 'When we started school this year, I told you that you had the best teachers anywhere' Check out this story on HometownLife.com: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/milford/2016/04/18/hvs-educator-named-oakland-county-teacher-year/83198248/
Laura Colvin, hometownlife.com Published 3:51 p.m. ET April 18, 2016 | Updated 4:38 p.m. ET April 18, 2016
Harbor High School junior Jenavie Reed shares a hug with her teacher Emily Blanchard, who on Friday was named 2016 Oakland County Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year.(Photo: Laura Colvin)
Spend just a few minutes talking with Emily Blanchard and it's clear she is a teacher who believes in her students. A few minutes with those students prove they believe in her, too – and they're not alone.
On Friday, representatives from Oakland Schools showed up at Harbor High School with balloons, flowers and cameras to present some good news during a surprise assembly: Blanchard was named 2016 Oakland County Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year.
"When we started school this year, I told you that you had the best teachers anywhere," Harbor High School Principal Susan Gallagher told students during the assembly. "Now you know it's not just me saying that."
Each year, the award is presented to three teachers from within Oakland County's 28 school districts – one each from the elementary, middle and high school level – to honor and award educators who achieve the highest standards of excellence.
Blanchard, who will receive $2,000 as part of the award, is a Livonia resident who teaches English and online classes at Harbor High School. She began her teaching career at Huron Valley Schools in 1991. Before transferring to Harbor four years ago, she served as an eighth grade teacher consultant at While Lake Middle School.
"She's so good at developing relationships with the kids," said Julie Conn, special education administrator. "We knew this would be the right fit for her."
Harbor serves as the Huron Valley Schools' alternative high school and currently enrolls about 125 students.
'Good place'
Last year, Jenavie Reed was planning to drop out of high school. Today, her whole face lights up when she talks about the support she's received from Blanchard.
"As soon as I met her, I knew this was a good place for me," said Reed, 17, noting she'd earned only a few high school credits before coming to Harbor last year, but now has enough to call herself a junior.
Harbor High School teacher Emily Blanchard makes her way to the front of a surprise assembly Friday after learning she'd been named 2016 Oakland County Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year. (Photo: Laura Colvin)
Although it's taken a lot of hard work on her part, Reed said she's grateful to Blanchard, who stood by her side during a difficult year.
"She always made sure I was OK," Reed said. "I owe her a lot; she's not just a teacher – she's like a mom to a lot of people."
These days, the teen has big plans, and intends not only to graduate from high school, but to go on to college. She wants to be a nurse.
Reed's classmates feel much the same about Blanchard.
"She relates to you," said Josh Kerchaert, 16. "I don't know how, but she always knows if something's wrong. She's not really like a teacher. She's more like a friend or a mom."
Blanchard serves many roles at the school, he added, and when she's standing in front of her classroom with a lesson plan in hand, things are a little different.
"She has a whole different personality when she's teaching," Kerchaert said. "She's stricter than any teacher I've ever known; she doesn't really give a lot of homework, but she makes sure you learn."
New opportunity
Harbor High School Principal Susan Gallagher congratulates teacher Emily Blanchard, who on Friday was named 2016 Oakland County Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year. (Photo: Laura Colvin)
When she first came to Harbor four years ago, Blanchard wasn't sure what to expect.
"I was a little worried," she said. "When they told me I said, 'I don't know if I'm up to it,' and my heart was just broken when they pulled me out of White Lake (Middle School).
"But now I know it's been the best thing to happen to me professionally and spiritually," she added, noting Harbor is new opportunity for students who are struggling to be successful.
That success comes easier when students – who have struggled elsewhere – know the teachers "love, respect and genuinely care what happens to them."
"You have to know when to let them have their moment," she said. "It's not always just about the curriculum. I'm concerned for who they are as human beings."
In addition to Blanchard, Lauri Rowley, an Oak Valley Middle School teacher, and Heidi Utterback, an Oxbow Elementary teacher, were also nominated for the 2016 Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year award at their respective levels. All three will be honored during a May 5 event hosted by Oakland Schools.
Blanchard will serve as one of the evening's keynote speakers.
"We're extremely lucky to have Emily – and so many other teachers like her – in our district," said Huron Valley Schools Superintendent Jim Baker, who attended the assembly along with other district administrators.
The Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year award program began in 1987. The program is sponsored by the Oakland Schools Education Foundation with support from other sponsors.
lcolvin@hometownlife.com
Twitter: @MilfordReporter
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