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From the left, Adrian Talley, principal deputy director of DoDEA; Donna Kacmarski, principal at Crossroads Elementary School; Victoria Hansen, Mary's daughter; Mary Hansen, DoDEA Teacher of the Year and STEM teacher at Crossroads Elementary School; Tracey Fairfax, assistant principal at Crossroads Elementary School; Col. David Maxwell; and Helen Balilo, DoDEA New York/Virginia/Puerto Rico district assistant superintendant, stand together after Hansen received her award at Crossroads Elementary School on May 29.

Photo by Cassandra Brown

STEM teacher at Crossroads Elementary Awarded DoDEA 2015/2016 Teacher of the Year

5 Jun 2015 | Cassandra Brown Marine Corps Base Quantico

She motivates students and colleagues to learn every day.

Mary Hansen, a teacher at Crossroads Elementary School on Marine Corps Base Quantico, received the 2015/2016 Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Teacher of the Year award, May 29.

Hansen, described as a dedicated and creative teacher by her colleagues, teaches Pre-K through 5th grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes and is an instructional coach at Crossroads Elementary.

Adrian Talley, principal deputy director of DoDEA presented Hansen with the award during a spirit assembly celebrating seven weeks of classes at the newly combined elementary school.

"I think without a doubt, she represented what we were looking for as a teacher. She was expanding the horizons for her children. I think she is an outstanding teacher and we all need her energy and her passion."

Full of emotion, Hansen, 47, says she feels humbled to receive the award.

"I genuinely love what I do. I wake up every morning excited to go to work and I try to spread that with my peers and be that catalyst of change especially when people are walking around overwhelmed because teaching is such a hard job," Hansen said. "I try to really be that spark to remind people, hey we are here for the kids and we have to give it our all."

The extensive application process for the award began in Nov. 2014. Teachers may be nominated by students, teachers, parents, colleagues or community members and go through several levels of reviews and selections from a DoDEA panel.

Fourteen teachers, including Hansen, were selected as district teacher of the year. Each of the district teachers may apply for the ultimate DoDEA Teacher of the Year award. Hansen was chosen out of two other finalists.

"Since the beginning of her teaching career she has always been a force to be reckoned with," her daughter, Victoria Hansen, said.

Hansen has taught for the past 16 years at various Quantico elementary schools.

"My husband is retired Army and I thought that was my way of contributing was to work with military children," she said.

Hansen focuses on hands-on learning in her STEM classes where she facilitates lessons, but gives students control.

"She brings the learning to life for the kids," Tracey Fairfax, assistant principal at Crossroads Elementary School said. "She is very creative with them. There are no limits where she says I’ve done all I can. No, she always pulls another trick out of her hat. No child gets left behind in her class. She never quits…she is a lifelong learner herself and that’s probably her greatest trait."

As the DoDEA Teacher of the Year she will attend several conferences, have the opportunity to meet the President at the White House, go to space camp and more. Hansen will continue to teach at Crossroads Elementary.

— Writer: cbrown@quanticosentryonline.com


Marine Corps Base Quantico