Angela Padilla Named 'Teacher Of The Year' At Round Rock ISD

ROUND ROCK, TX -- Angela Padilla hits all the right notes in teaching her students.

The Round Rock ISD music teacher at Bluebonnet Elementary has been named 2017 Teacher of the Year at the school. The honor is no mere interlude for Padilla, but the crescendo of a 10-year teaching career -- two of those years at Bluebonnet.

“It is our duty as teachers to help shape our students into contributing citizens in our society,” Padilla told Round Rock ISD officials in a profile interview for the district's website. “Who knows, they may be one of our world’s musicians who will continue to bring music, joy and art into our lives.”

Padilla knows first-hand the power of music. Growing up in a working-class family, music nourished her soul as a child -- the power of music continuing as a defining attribute into her adulthood.

Now, she takes that passion for music to the 123 students participating in a year-round choir program she created from scratch. Despite its recent creation, the choir already has garnered honors at competition -- including a recent first-place showing at the Snow Dreams and Christmas Things competition.

She also motivated her students to work together in raising $9,000 in a chocolate fundraiser. The funds are to be used to pay for special performances, field trips and instruments.

Ten years in, she's hardly hardened in a profession for which she expresses palpable enthusiasm: "It's an amazing feeling going home and knowing you have helped someone reach a new level of success," she told district officials. "I teach more than just music; I teach real-life skills they will use for the rest of their lives."

The power of music extends beyond the confines of her classroom. Children's concerts have become something of a community focal point, yielding events that are well-attended but also promote parent involvement in their children's education.

Those happy notes struck as a result of Padilla's leadership haven't gone unnoticed: "Mrs. Padilla works hard every day to inspire a love of learning in Bluebonnet students," the school's principal, LaWanda Carley, told district officials in an interview.

Without actually having to sing a single note from which to interpret her approach, the teacher's innate enthusiasm -- her academic allegro, if you will -- is more than evident, Carley suggested: "Her smile while working with students speaks of the joy she derives from her work," the principal said. "Her love of students is unmistakable."

>>> Photo of Padilla surrounded by some of her students via Round Rock ISD