Educator Taytem Lorenzana has been named Poplar Bluff Middle School Teacher of the Year for 2022.
Lorenzana has been with the R-I school district since 2018 and currently serves as the reading and geography team leader for the sixth grade.
During her four years with the district, Lorenzana has played a very active role at PBMS. Along with her role as a middle school teacher, she is also a sponsor for Junior BETA and a co-sponsor for the middle schools’ safety patrol group.
Self-proclaimed “favorite student” Charlie McCollough, wrote in a nomination letter, “Her activities are fun, entertaining and interactive. Some amazing activities we did were flashcards and we also played a review game every time before a test. And that’s why I think Mrs. L deserves to be Teacher of the Year.”
Kris Sittig, interventionist for Poplar Bluff Middle School stated, “Taytem is a knowledgeable educator, a leader among her colleagues, an innovator willing to learn and try new things and a genuinely caring person.”
Lorenzana maintains a healthy balance of work and play in her curriculum according to student Ava Grubb.
“My favorite thing to do is probably trashketball,” Grubb said. “It’s a very competitive game and it brings out the giggle box in all of us, including Mrs. L.”
Nomination letters tout Lorenzana’s prowess in teaching, her amazing motivation and well-rounded approach to instructing students. Co-worker and sixth grade teacher Brooke Hansen said, “Not only does she inspire her students daily, but she also impacts the lives of other teachers too.”
Lorenzana is said to not only be active in her role as a teacher and educator but also as a humanitarian, founding and organizing the middle school’s Giving Closet in 2019, which helps provide students in need with clothing, personal hygiene products and classroom supplies.
Lorenzana founded the Giving Closet in hopes that students’ needs could be met discreetly and without embarrassment.
BETA has also held donation drives to help support the Poplar Bluff Animal Shelter, FosterAdopt Connect and Great Circle.
Parent Lorie Veazey wrote, “Taytem is such a caring teacher, who connects with her students on a personal level. That type of person is what I envision when I think of Teacher of the Year.”