This article is part of a series by The Vicksburg Post, in partnership with the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, featuring each of the Educator of the Year nominees.

 

Denisha Gray, a second-grade teacher at Dana Road Elementary School, said it is important that, through her teaching, her students are connected to the world around them, and that the lessons they learn connect them to that world.

“By cultivating knowledge of other cultures and traditions, showcasing stories, making lessons personally relevant and allowing students to inquire, think and reflect ensures that my students are connected to the world around them,” Gray said.

Gray is a finalist for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year Award.

The Chamber will select and announce one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year on Feb. 17. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runner-up for each award will receive $500 from Mutual Credit Union.

Before joining the staff at Dana Road Elementary, Gray taught one year at Vicksburg Intermediate School, her first with the Vicksburg Warren School District. Prior to that, she spent one year as a fourth-grade teacher and four years as a third-grade teacher at Wright Elementary School in Tallulah.

Gray earned her bachelor’s degree in general studies from Alcorn State in 2013. In 2018, she earned her master’s degree from Louisiana Tech University.

In her Educator of the Year application, Gray said she teaches “because it lets me take part in shaping the next generation.” As an example of making a difference in that next generation, Gray shared a story of how she worked with a student who was dealing with behavioral issues to become successful in the classroom.

“As time went on, the student blossomed in my class,” she shared. “At the end of the school year, the mother confided in me that this was the first year her child was not disciplined and she thanked me for believing in him. I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can do. I make a difference.”