Learning in Kayla Lusane’s classroom doesn’t stop at the door. Inside her science class at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology, students chant planet names and move freely through hands-on lessons that feel more like exploration than lecture.Lusane teaches just down the street from where she grew up — something she says makes her work especially meaningful.
“The community put so much in me, So it feels so good to be able to just give back and be a part of this same community that I grew up in,” Lusane said.
Her lessons are designed to connect classroom learning to real life, with students actively engaging in discussions about everything from Jupiter to space science more broadly.
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“Even though she teaches science and most kids think it’s boring. If you would have come to this school with us at this very age, I’m telling you, you would love Mrs. Lusane very much,” said student Javir Brazile, 10.
But Lusane says some of the most powerful lessons happen beyond school walls.
“We’re making these connections with these outside places, and we’re making these connections with each other because we’re traveling together, and we’re having these experiences, these are things our kids will carry on for until their adulthood.”
She regularly takes students on out-of-state trips to Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama — travel opportunities many of her students experience for the first time.
“Not many schools are able to go on trips that we go on, and most of them happen because I miss Lusane,” said Hallie Simmons, 10.
For Simmons, the impact goes far beyond academics. “Outside of the classroom, she teaches us how to be nice, how to be friendly, and she teaches us more things that come from the heart.”
Lusane says those experiences help students imagine bigger futures. “By giving these students these opportunities, not only do they see it’s possible and they want to do it more, I think it gives them something to strive for.”
Her care extends beyond students to her fellow teachers. Lusane helped secure a grant to create a faculty ‘Zen Room ‘— a space designed for rest and reflection.
“Everything that she did to help create this room just added life to me because I use this room every week!” said Takara Luke, a teacher at the school.
Perhaps the clearest example of Lusane’s impact comes during her after-hours community events, including “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” night — where parents, teachers, and students learn together.
“So, parents and teachers are going to see if they’re smarter than a fifth grader,” said third-grader Amayah Bryant.
“Oh, they’re going to dust us no doubt about that,” joked parent La’Trisha Stallings.
“It’s just been a really enriching and, warm and enveloping program for us here,” Stallings said.
Lusane says those shared moments are what she hopes students remember most.
“One thing that I always want my students to remember is there’s absolutely nothing that they can’t do. They’re capable of doing everything.”
This year, Lusane’s dedication earned her the school’s Teacher of the Year award — recognition for a lesson plan that reaches far beyond the classroom.