BILLINGS — Q2, Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, Western Security Bank, and City Brew Coffee have teamed up for “One Class at a Time.” It's a program that recognizes teachers who go above and beyond to help their students.
Meet Amy Leffler, a teacher in Quest, the district's program for gifted and talented students.
"We work on being big thinkers and having creative minds," said Mrs. Leffler. "To really put their minds together and come up with some real-world solutions. One of my desires for my Quest students is to foster their leadership skills so that they can share their gifts with their community."
Right now, her students are identifying real-world challenges they're passionate about solving.
"Is it housing for all? Some of them want to transform things and have more bike trails. Right now, they're working on water and water solutions for our community. And so they're thinking of how they can repurpose things here in Billings."
One issue they're stepping up to address is food insecurity, recognizing that some area students don't have consistent, reliable access to nutritious meals. They're partnering with the Education Foundation to help make a meaningful difference in tackling that need.
"We're studying something called the Global Goals, connecting that back to the community. So we reached out to the Education Foundation about what their biggest needs were. And that's when I learned about the needs in our community for food insecurity. And so the kids are working on all of the different levels of how they can solve problems to help with food insecurity, like backpack meals and food pantries in our schools."
For more than 23 years, she has empowered students to become thoughtful stewards of our community, inspiring them to make a meaningful difference while preparing them with the skills and mindset they need to succeed in the real world. Because of that, the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools was honored to present Mrs. Leffler with a $500 grant proudly sponsored by Western Security Bank. She also received a $150 gift card from City Brew Coffee, along with a few other surprises. Congratulations.
If you would like to nominate a deserving teacher, click here.
