 As president and CEO of Horseman, a company founded by educators for educators, I'm proud to honor the five recipients of the Horseman Awards for Teaching Excellence. With three sisters, three nieces and now potentially my daughter being teachers, I know some of the challenges they face in the classroom and I hear about the rewards that make it all worth it. Teaching is more than a job. It's a higher calling and a critical role in our society. Teachers mold our future and for these five finalists and many other teachers, the job isn't confined to the classroom. Teachers pick their students up when they're down, give gentle guidance in the right direction, help them find their strength and overcome their weaknesses. They build teaching teams and inspire some of their own students to hear the call to the profession. And it is a noble profession that is frequently underappreciated. At Horseman, our mission is protecting the short-term risks and securing the long-term financial future of educators. And we make recognizing teachers a part of what we do. For more than a decade, Horseman has sponsored the NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence because we know how important and deserving it is to shine a light on outstanding teachers who make a difference in their students' lives and who continue to elevate the role. So please join me in congratulating and honoring five individuals who have been singled out by their peers for going above and beyond and becoming this year's Horseman Award recipients. Jasmine County is proud to have many great teachers. One shining star there is Mrs. Labarbara. But who is Mrs. Labarbara? What makes her so incredible? How can she be so amazing? I'm not sure that you're aware that I hired Heather. There was a great need for someone who had a passion for English language, for literature who understood our kids, and Heather was the person that I chose. What sets Heather apart is her dedication to teaching. She never half does anything. If Heather's on your team, it's full 100% Heather. There are so many reasons why Heather is an excellent educator. The first being just her love for language arts and the love of reading that she wants to instill in all of her students. She tries to make sure that she brings reading to her classroom and also out into the community. The Westchester Middle School reading program was created right around nine years ago and it has been a model for several other schools here in our district. I developed this program to help students continue to build on the reading skills over the summer. I feel like I learned everything from Heather. She was a great mentor. She gave me the confidence to be the teacher that I am today. Really all around how to be a good teacher. She's always on top of the game. She knows what's going on. She knows all the new literature, etc. She's also very easy to work with. We've got ideas off of each other. She tells stories a bunch and to relate to us. She'll joke around a little more. It makes a boring reading class fun. She's one of my favorite teachers because she makes us work hard. We still work hard, but we enjoy working hard more. One of the things that I don't know that I would say I've learned but it's kind of reinforced is she's really good at asking the kids questions that get them to think. When I see her doing that, it helps me to realize if I'm back viewing it. This is definitely what needs to continue to be done.