Groves Elementary teacher Mariana Viana was nominated for KHOU 11’s Ashley Homestore Red Apple Award.
Groves Elementary teacher nominated for educator award, featured on KHOU-TV
Groves Elementary teacher Mariana Viana was recognized as KHOU 11’s Ashley Homestore Red Apple Award winner during the station’s Great Day Houston broadcast on Tuesday, May 4.
Ms. Viana, a second grade teacher at Groves who helps lead the school’s Spanish Immersion Program, was nominated by Humble ISD parent LeRonda Lockhart. During the KHOU segment, Ms. Lockhart said Ms. Viana deserved the award for her efforts to make her students feel like family and introducing them to a multicultural world.
“Ms. Viana looks beyond what divides us and she focuses on what unites us,” Lockhart said. “Parents always hope for a teacher who will love their children just as they do.”
Ms. Lockhart’s children, students of Ms. Viana’s, echo what her mother says about Ms. Viana’s ability to connect with her students.
“For the last three years, she’s taught me how to speak Spanish, she’s taught me how to read and write,” Kathlynn Lockhart, a student at Groves, said.
Ms. Viana acknowledges that the past year has not been easy, but it’s her students that keep her motivated.
“It’s been a difficult year, but my students are my reminder for why I do this each day,” Ms. Viana said. “It’s been an amazing experience.”
Also during the segment, Groves Elementary Principal, Dr. Brian Peters, commended Ms. Viana for her ability to help students achieve their full potential.
“She’s a passionate teacher and a teacher leader,” Dr. Peters said. “She’s all the things that I would want in someone who is teaching kids here at Groves Elementary.”
This is Ms. Viana’s fourth year teaching at Groves. Prior to this, she taught at Summerwood Elementary. Ms. Viana has been with Humble ISD since 2015 and this is her 11th year teaching.
Ms. Viana credits the teachers she had as role models to fuel her passion to lead, create change, and make the world a better place for everyone. She plans to continue as a second grade teacher and Spanish Immersion Lead teacher at Groves.
The award is given to a standout educator in the Houston area each month.