It’s hard to put into words how grateful I am that Mrs. Cosgrove came into mine and my daughter’s lives a little over 2 years ago. We were both new to Ellis and I was lucky enough to be on the same team with Sara who welcomed me with open arms. But beyond that, Mrs. Cosgrove was the first person who recognized something special in my girl, and if you are a parent, I don’t need to tell you what that meant to me as a mom. After about a month into Mackenzie’s 3rd grade year, Mrs. Cosgrove came up to me and asked if she had been recommended for GATE at our previous school (which she was not and in fact was made to believe she was not a “good” reader). Mrs. Cosgrove went on to gush about how smart Mackenzie was and GATE quickly became her favorite part of school. She cannot wait to go to GATE each week and even makes sure we schedule her doctor’s appointments around her GATE schedule. She doesn’t want to miss a minute with Mrs. Cosgrove. When Mackenzie comes home excited to tell me what she did at school, 9 times out of 10 she is going to tell me about GATE. Whether it’s having us complete brain teasers over dinner or showing us how the amygdala of the brain works, Mackenzie soaks up every word of what Mrs. Cosgrove teaches her. On top of that, she goes above and beyond for her students only the way a teacher who truly cares can do. She transforms her classroom for Nevada Reading Week, plans amazing and unique field trips, and coaches them in activities like Battle of the Books and Science Olympiad. Mackenzie will be competing this weekend in the Science Olympiad and I am 100% certain she wouldn’t have even been interested in this activity if it wasn’t for Mrs. Cosgrove. As a teacher/mom one of my all time favorite memories will always be getting to chaperone a GATE field trip to Disneyland last year that Mrs. Cosgrove put many hours into planning. As someone who has organized lots of big field trips myself, I could easily see the care she put into making groups that would get along, knowing her students’ personalities, and organizing snacks for them for the bus ride. I will never forget hearing my group shouting “potential/kinetic” while we road Big Thunder Mountain. And if I haven’t convinced you yet, that Mrs. Sara Cosgrove deserves this award, let me tell you about Sara, the coworker. I think it is safe to call her a mentor for me these past couple of years. I admire the relationships she builds with her students and I have never seen a GATE program like hers in 21 years of teaching. Beyond that, she is just a kind human. She checks in on her coworkers and truly put an effort in to getting to know me when I was the new person on our team. Because of her guidance and enthusiasm I finally put in the work to earn my first CU column advancement. No matter how many times I texted her and called her about how to submit and which category do I put, she always answered me with patience and encouragement. I watched her support my team as a leader and a friend for two years and I see her pitch in everyday as a supportive colleague helping to walk kindergarteners out to the bus or sitting in on IEP meetings for our Autism and Pre-k programs. She is the definition of a team player. As you can see, Sara Cosgrove is the kind of teacher everyone wants to teach their own children and every teacher wants as a coworker. She is kind, hardworking, and puts so much heart into our school community, and I feel so lucky that both me and my daughter have gotten to experience her magic!