Ector County ISD announced Sarah Hawkins, the Science Lab Teacher at Travis Elementary School, has been selected as the Region 18 Elementary Teacher of the Year. Hawkins has been teaching for eight years, three with ECISD at Travis Elementary.
Hawkins is now a finalist for the State Teacher of the Year award, a contest coordinated each year by the Texas Association of School Administrators.
Colleagues describe her as adaptive, flexible and creative. Those traits were critical during the 2020-21 school year that was so massively disrupted by COVID-19.
“Adaptable. Flexible. Creative. How else would you describe her!” Travis Principal Amy Russell said. “She [taught] science in an exciting and motivational way using two laptops and a cart, moving from classroom to classroom!”
As the lead science teacher at Travis, which has third, fourth and fifth graders, Hawkins often decorated that science lab cart to reflect the objectives of her lesson and even dressed in a way to contribute to the lesson’s impact. As a result of COVID protocols, she did not move into her permanent Science Lab until April, a news release said.
She is a member of the Leadership Team where she is involved in decision making for the campus. Hawkins piloted SharkFinder for the school, tutored an afternoon reading group, coached teachers, and coordinated the routine that was used for bus pickup each day. She is working with district officials to pilot a computer science program at Travis this year, the release said.
