Special School District (SSD) teacher Kendra Noyes was awarded “Teacher Of The Month” for the month of February by the National Honor Society.

Noyes has been teaching at South since 2021 and her short time teaching at South has made a lasting impression on students and other teachers.

“I was kind of surprised, when Mr Degitz emailed me,” Noyes said. “I thought he meant the other Mrs. Noyes. But I feel honored; it’s nice to be noticed. I work with a really small group of students so it was just nice and it made me feel really good.”

Noyes provides lots of help to students all around the building. Although her room is hidden away by the print shop, her work is seen around the entire school, especially by sophomore Caitlyn Kuntz.

“She doesn’t just help with her class, she helps outside of classes,” Kuntz said. “She’s very caring, I think that’s good because she really cares about her students. She always likes to find some sort of solution to help.”

Kuntz has had Noyes as a teacher for the past two years and has learned a lot, not only related to school subjects but life skills, such as perseverance and having patience with yourself.

Noyes also works with her mother-in-law, South math teacher Staci Noyes.

“I don’t really interact with her much because she teaches some higher-level math classes but it’s nice to see her and say hi. She’s an amazing person so I’m just lucky outside of work and at work,” Noyes said.

Noyes has three kids of her own that take up a lot of her time, but she enjoys being on the same schedule as them. In her free time she enjoys reading, getting outside, and watching sports. She has also coached JV softball for the past two years at South. 

Teacher aid Jenn Findall has been working with Noyes for the past two years.

“She’s taught me patience and how to handle someone who is in crisis. She has a really calming way about her, and she’s really fair, even when it’s hard to be fair,” Findall said.

The impact Noyes has had not only on her students, but her coworkers, and the entire South community is apparent in everyone who knows her.

“She does so much for so many students. Many people don’t even realize because she’s stuck in SSD but she does a lot for a lot of different people,” Kuntz said about her impact.

Noyes said she didn’t always plan on being a teacher, but both of her parents, her husband, and mother-in-law are all teachers and, eventually, she decided it was right for her as well.

“Knowing that I’m helping kids get an education, even though there are a lot of other things going on in their lives that can make it really difficult, is very rewarding. I’m trying to help meet their needs where they’re at. Small victories in these rooms kind of look different than other people’s victories, but I love that I’m a person that’s helping them achieve those victories,” Noyes said.

The staff and administration at South admire Noyes as much as her students do, if not more. Everyone agrees that Noyes was deserving of the award for “Teacher Of The Month.”

“She genuinely cares. She’s not just here for a paycheck, she really cares about her students and wants them to succeed,” Findall said. “She thinks before she says what she’s gonna say, she’s very meaningful in the way she talks and acts.”

Although South is filled with an abundance of outstanding teachers, according to students and staff Noyes was extremely deserving of the award for February “Teacher Of The Month”.

“I like being a person for a group of students that doesn’t always have a person. I like being that safe space and somebody that they know is on their side,” Noyes said.