VFW names Bagwell Teacher of the Year

Maggie Bagwell, third-grade teacher at Holy Cross Elementary School in Morgan City, has been chosen the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4222’s Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2016-2017.
The VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary endeavor to identify, recognize, and honor America’s best educators with this Citizenship Education Teacher Awards program. The goal is to identify teachers who instill civic responsibility, interest in American history, and patriotism in their students through community volunteer projects, field trips, and inviting veterans into the classroom to discuss their military experiences.
Bagwell has taught third grade at Holy Cross Elementary for 6-1/2 years. She is an effective teacher and an advocate for student achievement.Bagwell’s classes participate in several service projects each school year that include visiting elderly neighbors, having military and disabled speakers as guests in the classroom, and collecting money for St. Jude’s Hospital.
Bagwell encourages participation in our local Shrimp and Petroleum Festival by hosting a third grade shrimp boat parade each year.
In addition, she actively volunteers for Purple Heart Outdoors, a nonprofit organization that connects disabled and wounded veterans with the outdoors.
Bagwell’s name will now be submitted to the district-level judging and on to the state level.
Names are then forwarded to the VFW National Headquarters for consideration in the national awards contest.
The National Citizenship Education Teacher Awards include a $1,000 award to teachers for professional development and $1,000 award for each winning teacher’s school.