Round Rock Teacher Earns HEB Excellence in Education Award

ROUND ROCK, TX — A Round Rock schoolteacher was awarded with the prestigious HEB Excellence in Education Award on Sunday.

Allie Duffy, a second-grade teacher at Joe Lee Johnson Elementary School in northern Travis County, was one of two educators honored in the "Rising Star" category. As a result, Duffy received a $5,000 cash award and another $5,000 in grant funds for her school, school district officials said.

This isn't the first time Duffy has been honored. She was named Round Rock ISD Teacher of the Year in 2017 and Region 13 Teacher of the Year last August.

“Allie Duffy is a leader for all of her students, the entire Joe Lee Johnson campus and our community,” Superintendent of Schools Steve Flores, Ph.D. said in a prepared statement. “She challenges all students to realize their potential and provides them with an integral support system. We are incredibly proud of her and look forward to seeing her continue to excel as an educator and advocate for success for all.”

An eight-year teaching veteran, Duffy has served the Joe Lee Johnson community as a second-grade teacher since its opening in 2016, district officials said. As an elementary teacher, Duffy said her ultimate goal is for students to learn how to be empathetic, flexible, persistent, resilient and optimistic citizens who feel empowered to make a difference in the world and dream big, officials noted.

“In my classroom, we foster and nurture relationships because if children do not feel loved and valued, there is no reason for them to want to engage in the academics,” Duffy said in a prepared statement. “When you visit my classroom, you will see my philosophy of developing the whole child — socially, emotionally and academically — come to life. I am confident my students will become citizens who will change the world.”

Duffy credited three people for the profession she brings to the teaching profession: Her grandfather who taught her not to overlook any child or family; a childhood neighbor with Down syndrome who taught her tolerance and acceptance; and her nephew who gave her a family perspective when it came to solving education challenges.

The statewide winners of the 17th annual awards include eight educators, two school districts, one early childhood agency and one public school board. The winners received a total of $430,000 in cash awards, and the program has given out more than $9.5 million in cash and grants since 2002, district officials noted. Winners were selected from a pool of 58 finalists by judges who include former winners, school administrators, and university and community leaders.

>>> Photo courtesy of Round Rock ISD