Lisa Drentkiewicz

Position: Fifth Grade Special Education TeacherSchool: Sto-Rox Elementary SchoolSchool District: Sto-Rox School DistrictCity, State: McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
About the Nominee: It is hard to put into words just exactly why Lisa Drentkiewicz is a LifeChanger. The easy answer, of course, is because she is a teacher. That is the simple explanation. However, her role is so much deeper than that. She fulfills all of the typical "teacher" duties every single day; she never misses a day of work and has compassion and empathy for her students, but that is not saying enough. "Ms. D," as she is known, makes a concerted effort to get to know her students. She spends hours of her time, on a volunteer basis, coordinating after school programs and weekend community initiatives. Because of her dedication, she has been able to establish a real sense of trust with her students and their parents. They know that they can always count on Ms. D to advocate for them and to go above and beyond to help. Her colleagues say that they aren't quite sure how she does everything that she does. Her fifth grade team relies on her to keep data and coordinate grade level activities. The school community at large relies on her to be a resource for some of their most challenging students, and the parents rely on her to be a voice in their neighborhoods. She is a dynamic and passionate educator and LifeChanger![nominee_videos nominee_email="ldrentkiewicz@srsd.k12.pa.us"]