ROANOKE, Va. – This month’s Education Impact Award winner has a passion for pets, and she brings that inside of the classroom with her.
Elise Demoss, a third-grade teacher at North Cross School, was awarded this month’s Education Impact Award.
“So humbled,” Demoss said. “I’m doing what I love. I really am.”
Diane Smith with Blue Eagle Credit Union presented the check.
“We at the credit union believe in enriching lives in the community,” Smith said. “When you can award somebody who is doing just that, it just represents who we are, and it’s just exciting to see.”
Demoss said she knew from an early age that she was meant to teach.
“My parents had bought you know a small projector,” Demoss said. “I would do all the things with my animals and my dollies. From the time I was four, I knew I wanted to make an impact.”
Her love for animals has carried over too, in the form of a class pet.
“Animals are just, I love them so much,” Demoss said. “Our class pet is quite popular. We have Lady Marshmallow Muffin, and she’s one of our themes, and we read around her.”
Leaders of North Cross aren’t surprised at all Demoss was nominated for this honor by her students.
“She knows them, and they know that, and they feel seen and heard,” Armistead Lemon, Head of School at North Cross said. “They feel that they matter, and so I think that’s part of the magic of her classroom.”
It’s magic that Demoss feels every day.
“Every morning I wake up, and I can’t wait to get here,” Demoss said. “I have a smile on my face all the way here, and I just, the second those kids hit the door, I’m excited to get going.”
It is time to submit your nominations for our Education Impact Award. Click here to nominate a teacher or staff member who’s made an impact on you or your child’s life.