GISD Teachers Of The Year

GISD celebrates outstanding teachers throughout the school year and each year two are named Teacher of the Year. In May 2022, Nora Moreno was selected as the GISD Elementary Teacher of the Year and Stephanie Lindenborn was selected as the GISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. In August 2022, Moreno and Lindenborn attended the Regional awards banquet and it was announced that Moreno won the coveted Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Moreno and Gainesville ISD came out on top in a very competitive region which encompasses 40 school districts, including districts as large as Fort Worth ISD. Moreno went on to represent Region 11 in the State Elementary Teacher of the Year competition.

Moreno has been at Edison Elementary since 2002, but she began her career in education in the early 1990s as an ESL instructional aide, learning to speak English alongside with her students. Her passion is for educating the Spanish-speaking population, both students and families.

“Being a bilingual teacher and growing up as a limited English-speaking parent myself, I knew the struggles that a parent goes through in trying to help their child read,” Moreno said. “I knew that if I could guide parents in reading strategies and how to help the whole child, they could be successful not only in the classroom, but outside as well.”

It is teachers like Nora Moreno whose inspiration in the classroom echoes in the students’ families, causing a ripple effect of positivity,

confidence, and “self-improvement in not only the district, but the entire community.

Stephanie Lindenborn’s path to teaching was also somewhat nontraditional. Originally obtaining a degree and pursuing a career in visual communication design, Stephanie ended up falling in love with teaching when she became a substitute teacher at GISD in 2017. She returned to college and graduated with a Masters in Education in 2019 and became a full-time teacher at Gainesville Junior High.

“While some may see teaching as a job, I truly see it as a calling,” Lindenborn said. “In my previous career, I didn't feel like I was making a difference in the lives of others, and I ultimately changed career paths as a result. As educators, we have a great responsibility to advocate for our students and what is best for them.” Stephanie desires to always lead with

”excellence, but most importantly to lead by example. “I set high expectations for all of my students both academically and personally, because I know they can reach those expectations,” she said.

Stephanie’s advice to her fellow teachers is to “remember everything you do for others, specifically for your students, is noticed and has the power to change the world!”