Rochelle Drake was named the 2023 Hazel Feldhausen Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted by the Indiana Association for the Gifted on Tuesday.
Dr. Kristen Seward, Associate Director of The Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute at Purdue University, presented the award.
Drake has served the students in Indiana as a classroom educator for more than 50 years. For the last 22 years, she has taught in a self-contained high-ability classroom of third graders at Nicholson Elementary School. Drake has served on the Broad-Based Planning Committee for Crawfordsville Schools for 33 years and was instrumental in helping design and implement one of the first formal programs for gifted students in a public school corporation in Indiana.
“One of Shelly’s outstanding qualities is her remarkable ability to recognize and celebrate her students’ individual strengths and unique abilities,” said Crawfordsville Superintendent Dr. Rex Ryker. “She creates a nurturing classroom environment where every child feels valued and appreciated for who they are, fostering a sense of belonging and self-worth. Even as she sets high academic and behavioral expectations, Shelly’s grace and understanding are a testament to her unwavering support.”
Upon receiving the news that the IAG awards committee had chosen her as the 2023 Outstanding Teacher Award recipient, Drake said, “A most humble thanks … I am so overwhelmed. As I watched others accept this award through the years, it never occurred to me that it might be me up there someday.”
