BILLINGS — Q2, Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, Western Security Bank, and City Brew Coffee have teamed up for “One Class at a Time.” It's a program that recognizes teachers who go above and beyond to help their students.
Meet Lacy Benkley, a special education teacher in the school's Learning Center. And she wants everyone to know right away, that her kids are simply amazing.
"They can do things. They just might learn differently and we can close that skills gap," said Mrs. Benkley. "We just have to figure out what it is. We have to dig into it, the students themselves, and individualize what they need, and they can do many things. And we want them to. We want them to be successful adults when they graduate from high school."
She does an excellent job of keeping her students engaged, like raising chickens in the classroom.
"I'm a farm girl, and so I just feel like that's important for a city kid to learn about. Where do chicks come from? Where do your eggs come from? They don't just come from the grocery store. They come from live animals."
Another way she keeps their curiosity alive? The Iditarod.
"I love dogs, and so I've had the opportunity to go on a couple of sled dog tours. So when that comes around, I assign a musher to each student and we follow them through the race. We have to figure out how many miles they've gone and their prize winnings and all that kind of stuff. So there's a lot of academics that are brought into it as well."
Creative, compassionate, and caring — just a few traits that set this exceptional educator apart. And that's why the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools was honored to present Mrs. Benkley with a $500 grant, proudly sponsored by Western Security Bank, and City Brew Coffee was also there to surprise her with a $150 gift card along with a few other tokens of appreciation. Congratulations.
If you would like to nominate a deserving teacher, click here.
