A 14-year teacher who first became interested in teaching as a college golfer is this year’s Killeen ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Halli Richards teaches math and science to fifth-graders at Skipcha Elementary School. She has also taught at Douse Elementary and in Andrews ISD and Vail, Arizona, where she coached golf while teaching sixth grade. She was assistant principal at Meadows Elementary two years.
On Wednesday, KISD Superintendent King Davis, Skipcha Principal Ariel Woods and a whole crew of well-wishers, including her proud parents surprised her with the district elementary teacher of the year honor.
In her application material for the district teacher of the year process, Richards explained the importance of making math and science practical to her fifth-graders. She wants them to see beyond step-by-step process to everyday purpose.
She assigns students to go with family members to the store and make note of the cost of items, sales tax and budgeting to emphasize practical financial literacy.
“I intentionally connect my students’ learning to their home and community experiences to make content meaningful and applicable beyond the classroom,” she said.
She is also highly intentional in building relationships, from greeting students at the door to learning their personal interests and even attending their out-of-school activities.
“At the start of the year, I prioritize getting to know each student - their interests, strengths, challenges, and backgrounds - through daily greetings at the door, intentional conversations,
and team-building activities.”
Richards, a native of Andrews, earned a kinesiology degree at the University of North Texas, where she played golf and coached youth. That’s where she first considered teaching as a career.
“I always loved kids. I volunteered (at a hospital). We helped sick kids. They got to swing clubs and hit whiffle balls. That was my first instinct that I really loved helping kids.”
After teaching junior golf camps and suffering an injury that ended her college golf career, she coached more youth golf before moving back to Andrews, where she taught and coached at her former school seven years.
A family move to Arizona gave her the chance to teach at the elementary level and she was hooked on the younger students.
In the throes of pandemic, she ended up in central Texas based on her dad’s suggestion and started teaching at Douse Elementary School, then Skipcha, where then Principal Jane Apodaca urged her to try campus administration.
After two years as assistant principal at Meadows Elementary School, she missed the classroom and returned to Skipcha Elementary School, a place she refers to as home.
“I missed the every single day of mentoring kids and seeing their successes,” she said. “Leadership is something I might do down the road. It’s been phenomenal here.”
In math, she teaches about budgets and taxes. “I have them go home and talk with mom and dad and talk about different kinds of taxes and gross and net income,” she explained. “The kids really enjoy it.”
“I want them to be successful,” she said. “I don’t want them to hate school. I want them to love it.”
“I want them to be kind and hard-working. That’s going to take you a lot further than a report card. They say, ‘I tried my best,’ and I say, ‘I know you did.’”
Deeply humbled, Richards said she was amazed when she received teacher of the year honors at her school and didn’t imagine she would earn the districtwide accolade.
“I’m still in shock. Even when I got teacher of the year for the campus,” she said. “I was in tears. I work with amazing educators…There are so many amazing people. That was such a huge honor and a surprise. This, I never in my wildest dreams thought about it. It brings tears to my eyes. I do put a lot of effort into it. I do it for the kids.”
Earlier in the day, the KISD award crew visited Ellison High School and honored English and dance teacher Savannah Carr as the KISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Elementary Teacher of the Year finalists are Gelixa Rodriguez (Peebles), Rachel Dunton (Pat Carney), Misti Gaskamp (Cavazos), Nancy Anderson (Reeces Creek), Desire Varga (Ira Cross) and
Nancy Scott (Douse).
Secondary Teacher of the Year finalists are Blake Jones (Union Grove), Gerald Nicholas (Chaparral), Sunny Luevano (Killeen) and Terrell Scriber (Early College).
Each of KISD’s 52 campuses nominated their own teacher of the year. A committee reviewed nominations, made classroom visits and conducted interviews to select the elementary and secondary teachers of the year for KISD.
Those two chosen teachers received $5,000. They are now KISD’s entries into the teacher of the year process for the Region 12 Education Service Center, a qualifier for the state teacher of the year.
Killeen ISD photo albums: https://www.killeenisd.org/photos