2023 Christian Teacher of the Year Award, DCA’s Cheryl Crouch!
Across the country, the Herzog Foundation received hundreds of nominations for the Excellence in Christian Education, Teacher of the Year Awards. We are thrilled to celebrate DCA’s Cheryl Crouch, 2023 recipient!
Rigorous criteria for the award included:
Excellence
Mrs. Crouch displays consistent creativity, dedication, and excellence in the classroom; she engages her students while expecting excellence from them in return. Cheryl says of her students, “[They] are bright, hardworking, respectful young men and women, and they fill me with hope… I strive to provide the same academic rigor that my own kids experienced here, and I hope each of my students, like my own kids, leave here with a life-long love of learning.”
Christ-centeredness
As a parent of four DCA graduates, Cheryl has walked alongside her own children, shepherding them academically and biblically. Mrs. Crouch brings this same heart for discipleship to her students. She sees opportunities for worship at every turn, whether it be a grammar lesson, discussing great literature, or prepping students for college exams. In Cheryl’s words, “It is a joy to be able to teach unapologetically from a Biblical worldview. I also consider it a high privilege to partner with Christian parents in carrying out the command of Deuteronomy 6:7, to impress the commandments of God on our children, talking about them all day long.”
Respected Among Faculty & Students
Students, parents, and fellow teachers alike admire and respect Mrs. Crouch. She invests in her students and aims to give them her best in the classroom; she invests in parents by giving support for assignments at home, and she invests in other teachers as she directs the English department. Of the many glowing nominations Cheryl Crouch received, Dr. Chevalier told the Herzog Foundation, “The best part is, it’s all true! She is so worthy of this recognition.”
Humility
When asked her response to receiving this award, Mrs. Crouch said she feels both “humbled and overwhelmed” because she feels there are so many excellent teachers who deserve this honor. To the Herzog Foundation in acceptance of her award, she wrote:
I choose to teach at a Christian school because I believe the Bible is true. It makes sense to me that as I strive to lead the next generation in the search for truth, knowledge, and wisdom I would begin by acknowledging the ultimate source of truth, knowledge, and wisdom… [My] students are the hope of our future: young men and women who know that the gospel is good news and can effectively share that good news with this broken world. By encouraging them to excel academically, I play a part in training up Christians who will be leaders in their chosen fields. As a Christian educator, I love knowing my work makes an eternal difference.
This October, the Herzog Foundation will host its awards ceremony in Washington D.C. where they will present Mrs. Cheryl Crouch with her Christian Teacher of the Year Award. She and her husband Jeff Crouch are also gifted a trip for the special event.
Join us in celebrating Mrs. Crouch by congratulating her on this monumental award!
