Forney High School Chemistry Teacher Selected as an Educator of Distinction

Teaching can sometimes feel like a thankless job. However, there are moments in a teacher’s life that clearly define the reason they devote so many hours and days to educating children.

Cassie Thompson, a chemistry teacher at Forney High School in the Forney Independent School District, recently had one of those moments. Thompson received notification that she had been selected as an Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), an honor bestowed to her from a nomination from one of her former students, Jaden Davis.

“I was shocked and stunned,” Thompson recalled. ”First of all, to even be selected as an Educator of Distinction, but more importantly, that it was Jaden who had nominated me! She is such a great student. But I was just shocked that she felt I had made such an impact on her and her education enough to nominate me for the award. I am just so humbled!”

The National Society of High School Scholars defines the Educators of Distinction on their website as ‘outstanding role models and exemplary practitioners who have made a lasting difference in a student's life by encouraging them to strive for excellence, not just in their academic pursuits, but in all their endeavors’.

“She was just really a big help to me last year,” Jaden noted. “She would work with me in class and in tutorials and she always put a lot of effort to try and help me. I just wanted to let her know somehow that she really helped me a lot.”

For being named an Educator of Distinction, Thompson also received a personalized certificate presented by NSHSS Founder and Chairman, Claes Nobel. In addition, she is also eligible to compete for NSHSS’ Educator of the Year award.

The NSHSS accepts nominations from students year-round. The program originally began in 2007 and the Society has recognized more than 40,000 educators worldwide.

For more information about the National Society of High School Scholars, please visit their website at www.nshss.org/.

Forney High School chemistry teacher Cassie Thompson displays her certificate of recognition as an Educator of Distinction from the National Society of High School Scholars. Jaden Davis, (right) nominated Ms. Thompson for the award.