L-R Randy Rumery, Sara Kayser and Daniel Chen
The family of the late Ying Ying Chen announced the establishment of the Ying Ying Chen Educator IMPACT Award in 2021 to honor the memory and distinguished career of Ying at Prairie. She served as an elementary school Principal and later as a District Administrator. The award recognizes an educator who embodies Ying’s passion for learning and commitment to students, staff, and colleagues. The recipient of the award receives a $1,000 stipend to support an educational project.
The three finalists for the 2023 IMPACT Award included: Tifani Daly and Kristen Robinson who submitted a team application. They are 5th grade teachers at Prairie Creek. Sara Kayser, an instructional coach at the Prairie Early Childhood Center and Bryce Cox, 6th grade science and social studies at Prairie Creek. The winner of this year’s award is Sara Kayser.
Sara plans to use the IMPACT Award funds to purchase materials to support the social emotional needs of preschool students. The materials would include posters, puppets, and books to support calm down techniques, problem solving skills and self-regulation strategies for preschoolers.
Daniel Chen, husband of the late Ying Ying Chen, and Randy Rumery, executive director of the Prairie School Foundation presented the award to Sara during a staff meeting at the Early Childhood Center on Monday, August 28th.
