Cara McNorton celebrating with her family.
Presentation Video
Kennedy Elementary School teacher Cara McNorton was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Dedication To Education Award, given annually by the Lawrence Schools Foundation in collaboration with Lawrence Public Schools. The award provides $5,000 to the recipient.
McNorton has taught fifth grade at Kennedy since 2012-13
after teaching eight years in schools in Topeka and Council Grove, Kan. and
Butler and Nevada, Mo. She was also an
assistant boys’ swimming coach at Lawrence High School for three years. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Kansas
State University.
“When I think of Cara McNorton I smile,” said Kennedy
principal Cris Anderson. “She is one of
those teachers that every child will remember as the one who played an
important part of their life. She is the
type of teacher that every principal dreams of having on their team. Cara is a
teacher that challenges herself, motivates her students and inspires her peers.”
McNorton is involved in numerous programs at Kennedy as an
equity leader at the school. Earlier this year McNorton shared the district’s
first Martin Luther King Champion of Equity Award with fellow Kennedy teacher
Patrick Wedel.
McNorton has fifth-graders do a career fair project, which
involves researching a college and later visiting Johnson County Community
College to establish a mindset that they can further their education after high
school. She also started a Kennedy Alumni
Group as a way to continue to support former students.
McNorton has embraced technology and with her students, formed
Kennedy Productions which produces various videos throughout the year.
“She is an inspiring example of ‘Learning for All, Whatever
it Takes’,” Ann Rasmussen Lounsbury, Kennedy Title 1 Team Leader, wrote in her
nomination letter. “She enriches the
lives of her students and co-workers daily with her teaching skills, tireless
work ethic and dedication to the profession of education.”
Wedel’s nomination letter highlighted McNorton’s passion for letting students know that anything is possible in their future, her efforts in keeping a connection with former students, and her willingness to be a resource for parents even after their child has moved on from Kennedy.
Korianne Daboda, a parent of one of her students stated that
McNorton “is a teacher who is determined to make sure that every single student
in the fifth grade learns the concepts being taught, no matter what it takes,”
and that she “is truly an example of the school district’s mission.”
The Special
Award for Dedication to Education, is a teaching honor created through the
Foundation by a group of community members inspired by their fathers' example.
They are the sons and daughters of another group of anonymous Foundation donors
(all with the first name Bob) who created the Bobs' Award, a Special Award for
Teaching Excellence, in 1997. The Foundation annually presents the Bobs'
Award in the spring.
The $5,000
Special Award for Dedication to Education rewards a certified teacher or para-educator
in the Lawrence Public Schools who goes the extra mile to help kids who need it
most. The award honors someone who supports "Learning for All,
Whatever it Takes" by ensuring that challenged and/or disadvantaged
students learn.
Dedication To
Education Award Recipients:
2007 - Jim Immel
(Early Childhood Center)
2008 - Mary Ann
Henry (South Junior High School)
2009 - Mary
Chamberlin (Pinckney Elementary School)
2010 - Charlotte
Lauts (Lawrence High School)
2011 - Lori
Sinclair (Woodlawn Elementary School)
2012 - Ron Swall
(Lawrence Free State High School)
2013
- Morgan Randle (Southwest Middle School)
2014 - HeatherLee (Lawrence High School)
2015 – Cara
McNorton (Kennedy Elementary School)
CARA
McNORTON QUOTES
LSF President Gail Vick, Superintendent Dr. Rick Doll.
the awards ceremony.
