Mrs. Cindy Rich, 6th through 8th grade reading intervention teacher at Lufkin Middle School, received the 2020 Gilbert I. ‘Buddy’ Low Excellence in Education Award. She will be recognized at a gala and will receive a $10,000 cash award. In a letter from C. Edward Keller, President & CEO of the Beaumont Foundation, Mrs. Rich was chosen from an impressive collection of nominations submitted by schools throughout Angelina, Sabine and San Augustine Counties. The award was given to Mrs. Rich for her commitment to excellence in education and her superior dedication to inspire a spirit of learning in students.

Mrs. Rich has been with the district 35 years. She began her career at Coston Elementary and then taught at Brandon Elementary. Her current position is teaching Read 180 to struggling readers.

She said, “I love helping reluctant readers grow into confident, successful readers. I’ve learned over the years that the key to being a great teacher is to build relationships with your students so that they want to please you. I work on this every day. Respect is a two-way street.”

Mrs. Rich and her husband have two grown children and six beautiful granddaughters. Congratulations, Mrs. Rich!