Meredith Wheeler, 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year

“I can hardly express what this honor means to me because when I think of the colleagues and friends with whom I share this recognition, I could shed sloppy tears of pure joy! Above everything else, I am mostly overjoyed for Ms. Cortez, Ms. Endres and Mr. Benedetto: amazing in everything they do, golden to the core, and happily colleagues I also consider ‘friends.’ I am truly honored to be among them. I am incredibly thankful to the amazing people I work with. I am inspired daily by the talent and professionalism of the staff at LQ and am thankful that so many have allowed me the privilege to get into their classrooms to experiment and learn. I’m inspired daily by students who face incredible struggles, often unbeknownst to me, but still show up eager to become just a little bit smarter than the day before. I feel blessed to be one of those people who has a career and clientele that I genuinely love and I hope to convey that in various capacities, every day. I will always boast of La Quinta High School — the kids, the staff — what we stand for in terms of excellence. I’m grateful and thankful for my Blackhawk family and that I have the privilege to call LQ ‘home.’ I am truly humbled and so very thankful for this recognition.”

Meredith Wheeler, English Teacher & Instructional Coach at La Quinta High