I am a determined and dedicated person that believes that everyone can achieve their goals in life if you strive for excellence. Since I became a teacher 19 years ago, I have found my purpose in life. Teaching is not a career, it is a passion, and with this passion I have created a classroom atmosphere that makes my children just as passionate about being successful and striving for excellence. One of my biggest successes happened this year, when 97% of my students are reading at grade level or above. In addition, 19 students have achieved a goal of reading more than one million words. Furthermore, interest in reading has increased significantly. I see my students encouraging each other to complete Accelerated Reader goals, recommending, lending and borrowing books from each other, celebrating others achievements and creating a culture where learning is a priority.

I participate in the Renaissance National Honor Roll because I like to challenge myself, and I also like to challenge my students. It's a great opportunity for both the students and teacher to collaborate and reach our goals.

Julissa Lopez

I am a champion of "all students can achieve". With Accelerated Reader, lives are being changed as students gain confidence by setting goals and achieving such tremendous growth! I have been fortunate to have successful implementations of Accelerated Reader with all groups of students from English Language Learners to my GATE and advanced learners. Everyone is challenged at their level and multiple years of growth is common. A culture of literacy thrives in my classroom environment and Accelerated Reader is an important tool to monitor student success! Students appreciate the recognition they receive for their efforts. They are doing the work and they deserve the praise!

We enjoy ReadQuest when students bring in their stuffed animal buddy to class and spend all day reading! Yes, my middle school students would rather read than watch a movie, play a game, or even have recess! Amazing!

West Walker

I am a 5th grade teacher with 10 years of experience. I am the chairperson of my grade level and we all participate in the Renaissance program. I have seen first hand the improvement in students' reading comprehension through use of Accelerated Reader. I participate in the National Honor Roll because it is a great way to learn and get ideas for my students to succeed in school. Through use of Accelerated Reader, my students have read more books than I had read at their age.

Mario A. Sanchez

I have been a kindergarten teacher for 11 years. I love my job in kindergarten and I don't think I would be happy anywhere else. I am married and have two children. My proudest moment with Accelerated Reader this year is that all of my students met their goals. In my class we love to read Robert Munsch books!

Rebecca J. Dingess

I am a fourth grade teacher in Gautier, MS. I have been teaching for seven years and have used Renaissance for six of those seven years! My greatest success with Accelerated Reader 360 is that all students have grown by setting their individual goals and achieving short term successes throughout the year! National Honor Roll is a chance for me to feel challenged in helping my students succeed. Every nine weeks, our class has a Reading BINGO day where students are challenged to read books of different levels, different genres, different topics, etc.!

Emilee Berryhill

I’ve taught 3rd grade for the past five years at Hillandale Elementary. One of my main goals as a teacher is to foster the love of reading and learning in each of my students. I use Accelerated Reader to promote independent reading. I work with each student to set monthly Accelerated Reader goals and frequently check-in with them on their progress. I participate in Renaissance National Honor Roll to ensure that I monitor student Accelerated Reader progress regularly. This honor reflects my students’ dedication to independent reading and Accelerated Reader! I’m very proud of my third graders' hard work! You never know when you will walk into my classroom and find me wearing a Cat in the Hat or Horton hat while reading to my students.

Sarah Swanzy

I am completing my 22nd year of teaching at the same elementary school. It is a Title I school, and I have been using the Accelerated Reader program with my students for most of those years. I am a firm believer in the program! My greatest success with Accelerated Reader is watching students - some who didn't even believe they were "readers" - get excited about reading and about tracking their own progress using this program. I participate in the Renaissance National Honor Roll because it offers another way to show my students that their hard work is recognized. In my classroom, students who are on track for meeting their quarterly point goal are invited to the Accelerated Reader Lunch with me in our classroom. We eat together and watch a movie!

Betty Morando

I am an educator in Alabama. I like to help my students develop a true love of reading through use of Accelerated Reader. I participate in the Renaissance National Honor Roll because I enjoy helping my students be recognized for their great efforts in reading. My students strive to maintain a high quiz average percent correct because their name can be posted on our “AR Wall of Fame” located in our classroom.

Daphne Scott

I am a fourth grade English Language Arts teacher. I have taught in a Title 1 school for five years and can't imagine doing anything else! This year, my class has a combined total of over 1200 points between 32 students with several earning over 75 points. It is exciting to see my students so excited about reading books! I participate in the Renaissance National Honor Roll to show my students that they can be successful. My students like to read to their reading buddies. Past students have given me stuffed animals. I didn't know what to do with them until this year when I came up with the idea to put them in a box for the students to read to. It has been a big hit!

Stacey Painter

I want to instill the love of reading in the students in my classroom. My students read over 20 million words this year with an 88.6% accuracy rate on their Accelerated Reader quizzes. I participate in the Renaissance National Honor Roll because I have seen the impact that Accelerated Reader has had on my students. Each week I read aloud a book that was chosen by the students in my class.

January Abell

I am a wife, mother, and educator. I love them all! One of my favorite things about using Accelerated Math is seeing students' amazing growth and achievements in math! I participate in National Honor Roll because it's a great way to recognize the hard work and dedication of my students! I sing to my students, and I can't sing at all. But, they love it. I sing to them so they can see someone do something they're not very good at and still try!! I love my students!

Missy Berry

I am a 6th grade science teacher of 13 years. I love what I do and enjoy working with children. My greatest success with Accelerated Reader is when I can help a student performing at a low level grow to achieve and comprehend higher level content. I participate in Renaissance National Honor Roll because I wanted to take on the challenge of enabling my students achieve excellence in reading. Our classroom has two turtles named Pete and Snappy and a corn snake named Corny.

Shonte Grady