Kevin Hemphill – Boulton Elementary

Kevin Hemphill was assigned to be the teacher of my grandson Jayden Sorenson last year. Jayden, who was seven at the time, has always been a little shy and has a dairy allergy. Jayden is a smart kid but sometimes school is stressful for him, especially when other students bring in treats for birthdays or holidays. Most treats like cupcakes, pizza or cookies have milk or butter in them, which makes Jayden sick. Jayden is sometimes too shy to remind his teachers that he can’t eat these things, so he just sits there and watches the other kids eating things he can’t.

When his mother Tiffany met Mr. Hemphill, just before Jayden’s first day of second grade, she was amazed to find that he already knew about Jayden’s allergy and had gone out and invested his own money to buy treats to have on hand that Jayden could eat. He made Jayden feel welcome and a part of his class all year. Mr. Hemphill went out of his way to make sure that Jayden knew he was recognized and appreciated and Jayden just blossomed under this attention.

I’m sure Mr. Hemphill is just as great with his other students, and it is easy to tell that he loves teaching. I know this may not seem huge to other people, but for someone to do so much to make my grandson feel comfortable and love school, really touched my heart. Kevin Hemphill doesn’t know me, but I know and appreciate all he does as a second grade teacher for kids like Jayden. I think he deserves to be a Featured Teacher for teaching and loving his students.

-Deanne Blackhurst