Kathy Thirkell’s smile had shown brighter than was ever seen before as she walked up to the podium and accepted her achievement. Thirkell held her head up high and looked out among the cheering teenagers of Lewis-Palmer High School. There was no mistaking the twinkle in her eyes and the pep in her step.

Kathy Thirkell, a math teacher at Lewis-Palmer High School, won the Colorado State Teacher of the Year Award. The students and staff of the school attended a special assembly in her honor to celebrate the wonderful honor Thirkell received.

“It was humbling. There are so many deserving teachers in Colorado. There was a lot of Ranger pride because the whole school was with me, which made me even more proud to be a Ranger,” Thirkell said.

She has thirty-four years of teaching under her belt and is known for inspiring many of her students to move on to bigger and better aspirations in life.

“I didn’t do all of my years of teaching and hard work for the award. I did it to help students become who they will be,” Thirkell said.

Her message to her students was to be prepared for what life will throw their way and always have faith. The only smile that was brighter than her own when she received the award was her students’ faces as they sat enthusiastically behind her.

Kathy Thirkell is mostly known for her amazing mathematical song-writing abilities and her effective teaching skills. Her students certainly did amaze her with an original song full of mathematical equations and a catchy tune.

Thirkell is definitely a legend walking the hallways of Lewis-Palmer. With her Rowdy Rangers standing tall behind her, she will definitely never be forgotten.