By Rebecca Butler
Alexandria Wojenski
Started Teaching: August 2020
School: Madisonville Intermediate School
Position: 3rd Grade Math and Social Studies
During Wojenski’s senior year of college, she created a senior project focusing on how teachers and education will be affected by the pandemic. Since she graduated during the very beginning stages of the pandemic, she felt intimidated to enter the workforce, but she never once regretted her decision to be an educator. She feels as though it is her calling in life to influence and teach children “not only their ABC’s, but also how to love and respect each other.”
Kaylyn Contreras
Started Teaching: August 2020
School New Waverly High School
Position: Special Education Student Teacher
Contreras is a senior at Sam Houston State University and is currently a student teacher. She is set to graduate in May of 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in special education. She said she was inspired to teach by her former high school math teacher.
“He had been there for so long that he built this established relationship with all of his students. He taught my mom when she attended that same high school. Not only was he an amazing teacher, but he was also a mentor and guide,” she said. Contreras hopes to one day be like her former teacher to establish those mentorships with her own students.
Carrie Vicars
Started Teaching: August 2000
School: Cedar Ridge High School
Position: Special Education Teacher and Program Director
Vicars is an established special education professional with over 20 years of education experience. She works at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock ISD as the special education teacher and program manager. She graduated from the University of Houston in 1999 with a degree in English Literature. Vicars is a dedicated mentor to many of her students.
Christine Herbert
Started Teaching: August 2001
School: Hempstead High School
Position: Secondary Math Teacher and Girl’s Athletic Coordinator
Herbert graduated from her current place of employment, Hempstead High School. She has taught at Hempstead High for nearly 25 years. She has taught multiple subjects, including algebra one, algebra two, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, and accounting. She graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, with a BBA in accounting.
Robert Thomas
Started Teaching: August 2006
School: Hempstead High School
Position: Assistant Principal
Thomas was born and grew up in Liberal, Kansas, only moving to Arkansas and Houston for college. He attended University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to earn his bachelor of arts in sociology. Thomas then went on to complete his master’s degree in counseling and education administration from Prairie View A&M University. Before working his way up to Assistant Principal, Thomas taught history and special education at Hempstead Middle School.
Rebecca Butler 