Meet Colorado’s 2018 Teacher of the Year

Veteran first grade teacher Christina Randle on Friday was named Colorado’s Teacher of the Year.

Randle has taught first grade at Soaring Eagles Elementary School in the Harrison School District for a decade.

Randle was selected because of her “passion for teaching, dedication and collaboration with her peers and commitment to engaging parents in their students’ learning,” the Colorado Department of Education said in a statement.

Randle focuses her students’ time on problem-solving with a focus on equity. She also helps train other teachers on the school’s curriculum and keeps in touch with families by sending text messages, the state said.

“Christina Randle embodies Colorado’s commitment to building strong foundations by supporting high-quality early learning,” Education Commissioner Katy Anthes said in a statement. “Her focus on building skills, such as problem-solving and collaboration, will benefit students through their entire lives. In this role, she will be able to share her passion for teaching across the state just like she has in her school and district.”

Randle beat out six other candidates for the honor. She was chosen by a committee of individuals from within the education community. The process includes a written application, letters of recommendation, site visits, endorsements from the teacher’s district and personal interviews.

Randle will go on to represent Colorado in the National Teacher of the Year Program, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with Voya Financial and People to People Ambassador Programs.

This is the second year Colorado’s Teacher of the Year hails from El Paso County. Last year’s Teacher of the Year was Sean Wybrant, a career and technical education teacher at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs District 11.

Oh, and if Soaring Eagles sounds familiar, that’s probably because the school received one of the nation’s highest education honors, a Blue Ribbon from the U.S. Department of Education, in 2016.