Marble Falls High School teacher an H-E-B Rising Star finalist
Marble Falls High School teacher Kimberlee McLeod (right) smiles as H-E-B public affairs manager Jill Reynolds tells her and her students that H-E-B has selected McLeod as a finalist for the Rising Star Secondary honor. As a finalist from the Central Texas region, McLeod and the high school each receive a $1,000 check. She’ll now compete May 5-6 in Houston for statewide honors. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON
MARBLE FALLS — Marble Falls High School teacher Kimberlee McLeod knew she was going to have classroom visitors March 6, but the school’s principal told her the H-E-B film crew was there regarding the school district’s possible Excellence in Education award.
However, Principal Damon Adams told a little fib to McLeod, which she realized when the grocery store chain mascot, H-E-Buddy, and staff entered her classroom with balloons, cookies, and a large check with her name on it.
While the Marble Falls Independent School District is a finalist for H-E-B’s small district Excellence in Education honor, that day’s visit was all about McLeod.
H-E-B selected her as a finalist in the Rising Star Secondary category of its Excellence in Education awards.
“It’s kind of a shock,” McLeod said after receiving a $1,000 check and standing for countless photos. The school also receives a $1,000 check.
McLeod teaches Advanced Placement Literature and Pre-AP English II as well as serves as the National Honor Society sponsor. She began teaching nine years ago, and this is her fifth year at Marble Falls High School.
While a lot of attention in education focuses on state-required standardized testing scores and state leaders saying what they think is best for students and teachers, the real work and magic of education happens each day in classrooms such as McLeod’s. As much as she was excited to get the honor, her students seemed just as happy for her with many congratulating her and saying how much she deserved it.
For McLeod, teaching isn’t about honors. It’s about the community and the future and how she and her students shape both.
“My parents instilled in me a love of community, and when I went to (Texas) A&M, they really emphasized that and serving others,” McLeod said. “A goal of mine is to leave the world a better place than when I came in it, and teaching lets me do that.”
She pointed out that she touches the lives of 150 students a day as they come through her class, just like so many other teachers do. Each day is a chance to help a student grow and become a better person. That sometimes means tackling questions, subjects, and discussions that don’t fall under the realm of AP Literature or Pre-AP English II, but that’s all right.
“They might not need to know Shakespeare, but they need to know how to be good humans,” McLeod said.
H-E-B honored eight Central Texas educators (teachers and administrators) as finalists in the company’s Excellence in Education awards. The Rising Star honor recognizes “exceptionally promising teachers with less than 10 years of experience.” Community members, H-E-B staff, and customers can nominate an educator for the honor. The teacher or principal submits an application, which a team of judges reviews to narrow the field to semifinalists. Another judging panel whittles down the semifinalist pool to regional finalists.
McLeod will now compete in Houston on May 5-6 for statewide Rising Star Secondary honors.
This is the second time H-E-B has visited Marble Falls Independent School District in regard to education recognition. In January, the grocery chained announced MFISD as a finalist in the Excellence in Education small school district category.
While the real reason McLeod is a teacher has to do with the 22 students gathered around her for a few photos following the announcement, she admitted that honors like this one can lift up an educator.
“It’s really nice to have your hard work validated,” she said through a few tears. “So often, teachers are ignored and unappreciated. This makes you realize your work does matter.”