Mrs. Araya Ossius is an exceptional example of a teacher who does whatever it takes for the students at Eastside Elementary. During her tenure, she has taught literacy and science, mentored at-risk students in our VIP program, and served as a leader on our district science curriculum team. As a guiding coalition member at Eastside, she supports novice teachers through instructional coaching. Her high expectations for what learners can accomplish with the right will and skill creates a culture for learning and growth mindset in her classroom. For the last several years, she has led Eastside’s Black History Month experience through the coordination and facilitation of projects in six different grade levels that educate our school community on the rich culture and contributions of black figures throughout history. This year, she took that endeavor past our own walls by sharing her work with teachers at Springhill Elementary, as well. Recently, an at-risk student was posed the question “who is the most important person at our school?”, to which they responded “Mrs. Ossius, because she won’t let anyone fail.” Eastside is building a legacy of strength and high expectations in large part due to the relentless pursuit of greatness by Mrs. Ossius. We are #GreenbrierProud to present her with the April Whatever It Takes Award.