Golden Apple Award: Alexandra O’Reel, Calvin Donaldson Elementary

CHATTANOONGA, TN (WDEF) – Most people never forget their first-grade teacher. Alexandra O’Reel pours her heart and soul into making sure her students have a solid foundation in learning and leadership. We pay a visit to Calvin Donaldson Elementary school in this week’s Golden Apple Award.

Jennifer Brownlee is the Principal at Calvin Donaldson.

She says, “Miss O’Reel is one of the teachers who has the whole package of teaching. Not only does she love kids and build great relationships with the students and their families, but she’s also one of our instructional leaders in the building.”

Ms. O’Reel describes herself thusly, “I am uh almost 30. I am a teacher. I would say that’s probably the first thing that I would describe myself as. It’s kind of the one thing that I’ve always done. This is the one and only job that I really have ever had, and it’s my passion, and I love it. So, I would say that if you ask me who I was and what I did, then they would both be the same. It would just be, I am a teacher, and I teach. And that’s my calling. It’s my mission field and I love it.”

Ashley Commander is also a first-grade teacher at Calvin Donaldson.

She says, “She has fantastic ideas. She’s so caring and giving with the children. And she’s a wealth of knowledge.”

First grader Victor Burch says, “She been nice the whole week, and she been letting us do math.”

First grader Faith Smith adds, “She nice, she beautiful. And she has, and she has a beautiful, a beautiful, smile.”

August Marshal adds, “Being nice to everybody.”

First grader Kayceon Townsend says, “I’m really loving it because she’s the best teacher. I love her. And, and I really love this class. And I also love my teachers.”

Maniya Fulgham says, “She’s smart and she’s kind. And I love her class.  I love her room. It looks beautiful.

First grader Josua Talley says,” Helping us use strategies to count on, and down.”

Ms. O’Reel concludes, “I went through a phase in high school where I thought I was going to be a sniper in the military. Just… I’m I don’t know what that was. And immediately realized that wasn’t for me.  So, yeah, ever since then I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. And I have taught um first grade for nine years, second grade for one year so. My mom is an elementary school counselor now. But she was a a primary teacher growing and I just admire her still to this day. And just always loved being at school with her and working with the people that she got to work with and just being in that environment. And I knew that that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. I hope that they just remember that they were known. That they were brave. And that they were loved the whole time they were here in our classroom here at E9. That they had a space here that was safe. And just a place for them to be themselves and to grow and learn at their speed and their capacity. And just that they had a great time.”