Kelly Harper, a third-grade teacher at Amidon-Bowen Elementary School was honored with the 2019 DCPS Teacher of the Year Award by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other District officials.
Kelly Nicole Harper began her teaching career with Teach For America, teaching 3rd grade in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Houston. In 2014, she was named a Teach For America Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award Regional Finalist. That same year, Kelly worked as a trainer and mentor for 15 new teachers at Teach For America’s Houston Summer Institute. Kelly moved back to her native Washington to teach 3rd grade at Amidon-Bowen Elementary School and serve students in her family’s neighborhood. She was selected for the Capital Commitment Fellowship through DCPS, which connects top new teachers in the district with leadership opportunities and professional development. Kelly graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College with a BA in English and will earn an MEd in elementary education from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education in May 2015.