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Cascade teacher named Battey Educator of the Year at DePauw
DePauw University’s Honor Scholar Program recently recognized a Clayton teacher who a student said, “embodies the fervor and excitement that high school education should ignite for students.”
Allison Paradise, who teaches English literature and writing courses at Cascade High School, was named the 2023 Battey National Educator of the Year, an honor awarded annually to a secondary school teacher who inspired a graduating DePauw Honor Scholar.
A teacher for 22 years, Paradise has taught at Cascade High School since 2004. Becca Parsons, who is majoring in English literature and minoring in political science at DePauw and took one of her classes, nominated Paradise for the award.
“From inside the classroom to the hours after school, Ms. Paradise made it known that she was someone you could come to for anything, and she would do everything in her power to help,” Parsons wrote in her nominating letter. “Her heart of gold shines through her involvement as an advocate for the common good.”
Parsons noted in her letter that Paradise has led suicide prevention walks and supports child abuse awareness, apart from championing other causes.
“My teaching philosophy in its simplest terms, is to make sure that my students know that they have worth and potential,” Paradise wrote in an essay she was asked to submit. “It is so important, especially these days as apathy runs rampant and suicide rates are on the rise, to let them know how loved they are.
“The relationships I have built with my students, the conversations I have had with students who are hurting, the smiles I have put on faces with tear stains still on their cheeks ... those are my greatest achievements as a teacher,” Paradise added. “We, as teachers, have to build confident students who are passionate about helping others the way they have been helped.”
The award was created in 2008 by 1954 alumna Joan Westman Battey and her husband Charles to honor pre-college educators who have made a difference in the lives of DePauw students. Senior Honor Scholars are invited each fall to nominate one who inspired them and continues to have an impact on their intellectual pursuits. The winner is chosen by the teachers’ essays, along with students’ nomination letters and recommendations from the teachers’ principals.
The award will provide a substantial honorarium for Paradise, and Cascade High School will receive a grant to be spent on her recommendations.