Julie Gardenour

Position: Physical Education TeacherSchool: Daisy Brook Elementary SchoolSchool District: Fremont Public Schools City, State: Fremont, Michigan
About the Nominee: Julie Gardenour was nominated by her daughter, Taylor Hawes.Ms. Gardenour is a LifeChanger in her community because she inspires her students and community members to become better individuals. She shares her passion for leading a healthy lifestyle through her teaching, but she also strives to instill core values in her students so they are prepared to inspire others in the future. Ms. Gardenour plans community concerts and events that provide residents and students an opportunity to enjoy low-cost or free entertainment that promotes positive character qualities. She builds meaningful relationships with her students by making them feel loved and special, and she lets them know they are understood, no matter their background. Ms. Gardenour inspired her daughter, Ms. Hawes, to become an educator herself after demonstrating the qualities of a LifeChanger as her own PE teacher. When she was in her class, Ms. Hawes could sense her mother's desire to make a difference and be a contributor in her students' lives. She wanted to be able to do the same thing someday, and she enjoyed the positive learning environment her mother created. Ms. Gardenour continues to inspire her daughter, and her passion has continued to grow over the 30+ years of her teaching career. Ms. Hawes aspires to provide her students with a loving, understanding environment because Ms. Gardenour provided the same environment for her.[nominee_videos nominee_email="jgardenour@fremont.net"]