Haney Teacher of the Year 2017 in Havre

Each year Havre Public School employees have the privilege of nominating one of their own to receive the Teacher of the Year Award. Many outstanding individuals are nominated each year and this year’s list included Heather Haney, Havre High, Marie Deegan, Havre High, and Cathy Bradbury, Havre Middle School. During the Employee Recognition Celebration in May of 2017, Rebecca Reno, Teacher of the Year 2016, presented Heather Haney as the 2017 Teacher of the Year.

During the introduction, Mrs. Reno cited the many reasons that Mrs. Haney was so deserving of this award. Students describe her as considerate, energetic, organized, fantastic and committed. She is always available before and after school to help her students with a “sun-shiney” attitude and wants everyone to succeed. One student said, “If she could marry math, she would”.

Heather’s coworkers also shared that her students respond to her compassionate and positive guidance. She routinely challenges her students with her seemingly endless enthusiasm for learning. She is respected and works well with her colleagues. She has a welcoming spirit noted by students and coworkers alike, as referenced in her nomination letter. “When I first came to training back in August, she made me feel welcome and included. Heather has compassion for her students and is an extraordinary educator who is easy to learn from and look up to”.

Her interest in teaching began with her oldest daughter’s preschool teacher. She saw how much her daughter enjoyed school and thought to herself, “I think I’d like to be a teacher”. Heather attended kindergarten in Malta, Montana and then continued her education through grade 12 in Chinook, Montana. After high school, she received an Associate’s Degree in Business, a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Secondary Math Degree from Montana State University-Northern and a Business Education endorsement from the University of Montana-Western followed by her Masters of Science in Mathematics from Montana State University-Bozeman. Heather is a math teacher at Havre High and currently teaches Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Trigonometry and Calculus. She has been teaching at Havre High for 7 years.

When not at school, Heather can be found escorting her children ages 14, 12 and 8 to their many activities. Summers are reserved for camping and at least one family trip. She can also be found teaching Sunday school and helping out with youth in her church. Heather is the daughter of Malta’s Cleo Phillips and that late Dean Hasler (step-father.)

During her address to returning educators at the annual Havre Board of Trustee Welcome Back Kick-Off, welcoming staff to the 2017-2018 school year, Mrs. Haney discussed the reason she works in education. “Our kiddos are the true reason we work in education. No matter what happens, they are and always will be our kids. In the year we spend with them, they are no longer students on a roster, they truly become a part of our lives and our hearts. I once had a former student, home from college, leave a note and some cookies in my school mailbox. The note was simple, thanking me for being a great teacher and mentor, for welcoming this student into my class, and for making math enjoyable. I tell you this story to remind you that what we do matters, every day, to every student, no matter how little we think it does. Your influence, your guidance, and most importantly, your love lives on in your kids and because of you, their lives have been enriched”. Heather ended her speech thanking her fellow educators for believing in kids and never giving up on them, taking the time to plan, grade, teach and help them. To be flexible and motivating while understanding their needs and appreciating the uniqueness of every child.

Welcome back to school staff and students and congratulations Mrs. Heather Haney on being Teacher of the Year 2017.