Image of Sherri DeSoto

Please help us congratulate Sherri DeSoto as one of our elementary teachers of the year. DeSoto has inspired countless students over her 19 years of teaching and currently works with third through sixth grade gifted and talented students at Sheridan Intermediate School.

When entering her classroom, you may see robots being constructed out of every-day trash, kids looking up stocks in their stock market simulation game to see if they’ve made gains or losses, you may see students comparing mythological dragons to dinosaurs, or students creating business plans and learning to market their own products. Every project that happens in her room gives kids the ability to be creative and think “outside the box.”

Mrs. DeSoto considers herself not only a facilitator for gifted students but also their advocate. One parent said DeSoto displays a rare type of excellence and couples it with an unwavering dedication to her students. His son had the opportunity to learn from her for three years in her gifted and talented class, but even after she was no longer his teacher, she took time to attend conferences for him, check in on him, visit with him about how things were going, and even took the time to offer correction at times it was needed. “It is her expertise as a teacher,” he said, “and her heart for kids that make her one of the best educators that my son and I have ever encountered.”