Lisa Owens, who teaches math at Morton Middle School, has received a $1,000 award from the Rotary Club of Lexington. She was selected based on an essay that a former student submitted with a scholarship application.

 

    “I was just amazed. … The stuff she had written in the essay definitely touched my heart,” said Owens, who has not seen much of Alyssa Gullett since teaching her in seventh and eighth grade.

   “You just never know when you’re making a difference. When you look at the time removed, it just makes it more precious.”

 

    In her essay, Alyssa wrote that Owens taught with passion, joy and patience. “She pushed me, challenged me, smiled and laughed with me, encouraged me, and most importantly, believed in me. It is my hope that every middle school student finds and appreciates their guardian angel, cleverly disguised as their teacher.”

 

    After getting the Great Teacher Award, Owens remembered that she has a sample of Alyssa’s work in her own teaching portfolio. “Maybe I helped her as much as she helped me,” Owens said.

 

    The John R. Bryden Great Teacher Award is presented in memory of longtime Rotarian and scholarship committee member Jack Bryden. It is made possible in part by a grant from the Steele-Reese Foundation.

 

    Owens earned her degrees at the University of Kentucky and has worked in Fayette County schools her entire career. At Morton, she is a member of the School-Based Decision-Making Council, head of the math department and an instructional coach.

 

    Alyssa is a senior at Lexington Christian Academy.