SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — It has been a difficult year for Abington Heights High School teacher Kerri Davis, first with her husband Keith’s tragic death in September, then the loss of her 3-year-old niece the next month. But she finally received some happy news Tuesday.
Davis was chosen as the winner of Matt Burne Honda’s first-ever Lackawanna County Teacher of the Year award. Along with a trophy presented to her by Matt Burne Honda partners Brian Walsh and Denise Burne, Davis received a brand-new 2017 Honda Civic LX, with taxes paid.
She said she has been driving her late husband’s truck for the past several months, after giving away her own car to her sister.
“I was shocked,” she said following the ceremony in front of the school and attended by a large crowd of students and faculty members. Their thunderous applause lasted a good 45 seconds after Davis was revealed as the winner.
Abington Heights Principal Andrew Snyder, however, wasn’t surprised.
“Kerri cares so much about her students and it shows through by the number of students who went out of their way to write about their teacher,” he said
Almost 200 nominations for teachers across the county were reviewed by a panel of retired teachers, who then brought “top five” lists to the company. Three out of the six judges listed Davis as their first choice. She was then chosen as the winner from a list of 19 finalists. Although she was aware of the nomination, she did not know she won until her name was announced during the ceremony.
“It’s been a tough year for Kerri. Everybody knows that,” said Walsh during a brief speech. “And this decision – we didn’t know that. Kerri was picked for one reason and one reason only: because she’s the best teacher. It was only after the award was decided that we heard about Kerri’s great loss last year.”
Madison Jarocha, the student whose nomination for Davis won first place, will also receive a prize: a $2,500 scholarship check. The home-bound student was unable to attend the ceremony, however, due to health issues.
Davis described Jarocha as a “very hard worker” who “puts others before herself” and added she plans to go to college for nursing.
When asked what she enjoys most about teaching, Davis said, “The kids, of course. I wouldn’t be doing it, if it wasn’t for them.”
Davis teaches social studies, American history and economics at the high school.
“I love teaching, and I love the students,” she said. “They are like my kids.”