This fall, Jessi Fazio-Scott was awarded as Lewiston School District’s Secondary Teacher of the Year for 2024. Scott is a special education teacher at Lewiston High School, and she taught for several schools in the Lewiston-Clark valley before landing at LHS.
“It’s an amazing thing,” Scott said about the implications of winning the prestigious award. “I’m a special education teacher, so I don’t really get to see as many students as [other teachers]. But I like the fact that I can walk among every single staff member in this building and know a little bit about them.”
“I try to help them and be supportive. It’s really nice to feel like I’m being recognized,” she continued.
“Special education is just a small group of the community, but we try so hard to help all our general education teachers and students, especially, be successful, and try to build a relationship between everybody.”
She acknowledged that special education plays a role in the lives of all students. But Fazio-Scott admitted she never expected the award for herself.
“I remember hearing it, and being like, ‘Oh, that’s not me,’. Like, you hear the first words out of someone’s mouth and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m out.’ So I just kind of was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I was very shocked.”
As for teaching practices, Fazio-Scott noted that she is “probably the meanest teacher in the world.” Students know that she isn’t a mean teacher, though — just a little strict. When the second bell rings, Chromebooks are shut and hoods are down in her classroom. She requires her students to put their phones in a caddy.
“We have to remind ourselves that I’m asking for 87 minutes of me devoting my time to you, so I hope that you’re respecting that and we return it in equal parts,” she said.
This isn’t to say that kids in her class don’t still have fun, though. During free time at the end of class, she allows her students to play board games with herself and other students. She bonds with her students individually, and even puts together a coloring wall in her classroom every year.
Katy Latta, is a former LHS speech therapist who worked closely with Scott for 3 years.
“Scott always made sure I knew she was on my team. She was always making sure that I had what I needed, [that] I knew who we shared on our caseload, and the best way to support the kids that we shared,” Latta said.
“She always checked in on me to make sure that I knew what was going on because as someone who wasn’t full-time staff at the high school, I wasn’t always on everyone’s radar,” Latta added. “But not Scott — she knew when I was there, hunted me down, and kept me in the loop. The impact she had on me was immeasurable, as it is when anyone has someone in their life who truly cares.”
Scott’s impact on the school community is, as Latta said, “immeasurable.” Even with students who don’t have her class, she’s quick to give a wave and a smile. Almost every morning she stands outside her classroom with a grin, wishing students a good day.
However, for those who are Scott’s students, she possesses an undying loyalty, respect, and hope for each one. She said if she had the chance to gather all of her students — past, present and even future — she would only want to encourage them.
“I honestly would say that I’m very proud of them, and that they’ve come so far from when I first met them. Even though they don’t believe that, they have,” Scott said. “We see them in such an awkward part of their lives, so seeing them [mature] is amazing.”
Time and again, Scott is known to go out of her way to ensure that her students are supported in and out of the classroom.
“I absolutely love when kids come and tell me that they got their first job,” Scott said. “I will go and see them [at] their job just to take a picture with them.”
Fazio-Scott has proven she deserves this award through her character and dedication to her career.
Adviser’s note: This story originally named Scott as Idaho Teacher of the Year. The award title was corrected Oct. 30, 2024.
