Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has announced its 2022-2023 Teachers of the Year and Paraprofessional of the Year. Christina Hayes, a fifth-grade ASPIRE Academy teacher at Glenhope Elementary School, has been named the GCISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Josh Smith, head band director at Heritage Middle School, has been named GCISD's Secondary Teacher of the Year. Hina Virani, attendance clerk at Heritage Middle School, has been named GCISD’s Paraprofessional of the Year.
The winners were announced on Thursday, April 14, at a luncheon co-hosted by the Colleyville and Grapevine Chambers of Commerce. Check out this Facebook album full of pictures from the event!
The winners were chosen from among the 21 previously selected campus teachers and paraprofessionals of the year. GCISD’s two teachers of the year are now eligible for region and state teacher of the year awards.
Read below to check out what other staff members had to say about this year’s award winners.
Christina Hayes - GCISD Elementary Teacher of the Year
Glenhope Elementary - Fifth-grade ASPIRE Academy Teacher
“Christina Hayes is the kind of teacher every parent wants for their child,” said Glenhope Elementary principal Dr. Wynette Griffin. “She builds strong relationships with students so that she is attuned to their academic, social, and emotional needs. She designs engaging work for curious minds that challenges them in a way that builds their self efficacy, and she leads on our campus by sharing her learning with others. She is a passionate and caring teacher who makes everyone around her better because of her influence.”
Josh Smith - GCISD Secondary Teacher of the Year
Heritage Middle - Head Band Director
“Josh is an amazing educator that has high expectations for his students and his program while always exuding positivity and a ‘we can’ attitude,” said Heritage Middle principal Sheila Shimmick. “This, along with his great personality and strong student relationships, is making a positive difference at HMS while growing a successful band program. Josh absolutely loves what he does, and it shows in everything that he does at HMS and in GCISD!”
Hina Virani - GCISD Paraprofessional of the Year
Heritage Middle - Attendance Clerk
“Hina takes great pride in her job at HMS,” said Heritage Middle principal Sheila Shimmick. “She is thorough, a team player and absolutely has high expectations for herself and those around her in our office. We can always count on Hina to go above and beyond what is expected of her due to her strong work ethic and desire to be as effective as possible. She is an asset to HMS in many ways and is great at her job! ”