03 Aug 2025 Two peas in a podcast

Misty Burgess and Hailey Ellzey, business teachers at Greenbrier High School, have been honored with the prestigious Honored National Teaching Award for May 2025. As part of their honor, they each received a ^$5,000 cash award and were featured on Inspiring Teachers: The Honored Podcast.

Hailey Ellzey was nominated by student Jenna Whitley, who celebrated her for inspiring students to step outside their comfort zone and for consistently recognizing their growth. Misty Burgess was nominated by student Zandrea Story, who shared how Burgess empowers her students to think critically and helps them build a foundation for the future.

Both teachers are involved in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and, through their pre-professional classes, they are setting students up for personal and professional growth. Their positive impact has been witnessed both inside and outside the classroom as they help students learn how to adapt to and thrive in a fast-changing world.

In Jenna’s nomination, she wrote: “When we go into Ms. Ellzey’s class, it feels like home. She always makes us excited to come to class, and it’s something to look forward to.” 

In Zandrea’s words, Mrs. Burgess “has made me the best version of myself. She’s made me step outside of my comfort zone.”

Ellzey learned she had been selected through an email from a representative with the Honored Foundation. She said it meant the world to her that her student, Jenna, had taken the time to nominate her and communicate with them. It has reminded her how meaningful teaching can be. “It’s been a huge motivator because it opened my eyes to the many ways being a teacher can impact students not just academically, but personally and emotionally, too,” Ellzey said.

To hear more about the inspiring impact Ellzey and Burgess have made at Greenbrier High School, listen to their stories at 501lifemag.com/gbteacheraward.

Honored is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to keeping great teachers in the classroom and inspiring a new generation of talent to pursue teaching, said Hannah Bowyer-Rivette, program associate. “Each month of the school year, Honored shines a spotlight on a teacher who has changed the life of a single student,” she said. The Honoree receives a ^$5,000 cash award, and Honored shares their story on their podcast and social media. Honorees are selected from Pre-K-12 teachers of all subjects at public, private, and charter schools across the country.

For more information, visit honored.org. To nominate a teacher, visit honored.org/nominate.