With over 20,000 staff members in Wake County, being recognized for excellence in their field is no small feat for any of our teachers. However, just last January, Green Hope’s very own Ms. Danielle Jensen was one of 18 employees selected for the Wake County Excellence Award. Ms. Jensen is a special education teacher in the Extended Content Standards (ECS) program, head coach of the Green Hope women’s varsity soccer team and coach of the boy’s junior varsity team.
Recently, Ms. Jensen caught up with The GH Falcon to consider what the award means to her, reflect on her achievements and discuss her future. Being a member of the 18 employees out of the 20,000 total is a huge milestone for any teacher and Ms. Jensen explained what it means to her. “I was really excited to learn who it came from. I thought maybe it was administrators or something, but it was actually a parent from the soccer program,” said Ms. Jensen. “It was cool to see a parent who thought really highly of me and went out of their way to nominate me for this award, and then, based on what they wrote about me, people who voted thought ‘Wow, yeah, she is really doing a good job.’”
As a special education teacher, Ms. Jensen’s experience is incredibly unique when compared to other members of the Green Hope staff. Her students begin high school at age 15 to 16 but stay with the school until they’re 22. Commenting on her pride in her students, Ms. Jensen said, “I’m most proud of their growth over the length of time that they’re at school. Some of them are starting to apply for adapted college programs where they’re starting to work with job coaches to get jobs or volunteer hours, so it’s exciting to see them come in as a 15 or 16-year-old and then graduate.” Being with these students for so long is a truly remarkable experience, and Ms. Jensen takes rightful pride in seeing the accomplishments of her students.
Now in her fifth year at Green Hope and reflecting on her time with the school so far, Ms. Jensen noted, “One of my favorite parts is the inclusion in the student body, just seeing regular [education] students interact with my students, whether that’s through sports or clubs or just in the hallway.” At Green Hope, other teachers will often incorporate Ms. Jensen’s students into elective classes as well as provide immersion through clubs and sports. With their infectious enthusiasm, Ms. Jensen’s students never fail to put a smile on the faces of those around them. She agrees with this and said, “My other favorite part is just my students in general. No matter what kind of day it is, no matter what’s going on in the world, they’re just so excited to be here, so it makes me excited to be here.” Feeding off of her students palpable excitement, Ms. Jensen never lacks a reason to stay excited coming to school.
Looking to the remainder of the 2024/25 school year, Ms. Jensen shared some of her goals with The GH Falcon. While she’s already doing her job exceptionally well, Ms. Jensen says she hopes to “keep doing what I’m doing, keep finding resources for my students’ families, keep finding ways to include them in the school and keep finding ways for them to be more social with the Green Hope student body.” It’s hard to argue with the outcome of these efforts, as Ms. Jensen’s work led to her Employee Excellence Award.
In addition to her career in the classroom, Ms. Jensen has also found success in coaching soccer. Following an incredibly successful season with the boy’s soccer teams, Ms. Jensen expressed her goals for the women’s team. Ms. Jensen stated, “I want to recreate the expectations and the foundation of our [boys] program, especially for the girls. I think that there is a lot of potential there, we just need to reset some of the expectations and get on the same page about what our goals are for the season and for our program in the future.” With their first game scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24, the women’s future is promising under Ms. Jensen’s leadership.
Ms. Jensen contributes so much to the school as both a teacher and a coach while she voices the importance of keeping a balanced schedule amidst all potential chaos. Students and teachers alike often find themselves with extra work over the weekend, but Ms. Jensen said, “I try not to take anything home on the weekends and I do things like that I enjoy, like coaching and playing soccer myself or traveling and spending time with family and friends. Just finding a balance keeps me motivated because if I burn out here, then I don’t know what I would do next.”
While no two days are the same as a teacher, Ms. Jensen also acknowledges the essential role that her students play in keeping her inspired to teach, concluding: “it’s easy, just coming to school, having my students fill my cup every day. Yes, there’s a lot of paperwork and not every day is not a good day, but just coming here and being fulfilled is enough.” Acknowledging that her job is more than just engaging students and paperwork is an equally important responsibility, Ms. Jensen’s students are always there to cheer her up.
“Excellence” is defined as “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.” From her work in the classroom to the product she facilitates on the field, Ms. Jensen has gone above and beyond her role as a staff member, highlighting why she is truly deserving of the Wake County Employee Excellence Award.
