JPS-TV and the Jeffco Schools Foundation are partnering to present this special series, honoring Jeffco Public Schools students and teachers of extraordinary character, leadership, and strength.
Meet 2016 Jeffco Hero Award honoree Carol Degenhart who is one of four Jeffco Public Schools teachers being recognized by the Jeffco Schools Foundation for their extraordinary character, leadership, and strength.
Carol Degenhart didn’t start out teaching math. In another life, long before Lakewood High School, she was a lighting engineer – a very accomplished one, who helped build a business with projects all over the country. Deleware’s winter tour museum was a client, the F.D.R. Memorial in Washington, D.C. was another success, but it wasn’t enough. Something was missing. Instead of brightening things and places, she wanted to brighten young people.
Her path to the classroom started on a lacrosse field, where she also made Colorado prep sports history as a pioneer girls lacrosse coach drawing on her own experience as a player to take her athletes to new heights.
“We actually started the very first lacrosse team in Jeffco, and it was one of the first eight in Colorado. They call it the fastest sport on two feet, and it was exciting to be involved as it grew,” explained Degenhart.
Her contributions landed her in the Colorado Lacrosse Hall of Fame, but you won’t hear Carol talking about it much. Her colleagues say she’s a humble person, who’d rather keep the focus on her students whether it’s on the playing field or in the classroom.
“If you ask any educator, that’s why we do it, right. It’s to see those kids have the light go on and say, ‘Oh, okay. Now I see why we do it.’ Or understand how this works and that’s the success,” said Degenhart. “If you can make a connection with kids, get them to trust and see that we all have the same goal in mind, what we’re trying to do is get them to move to a better understanding, to a higher level.”
Getting that light to go on with all of her students, even the most difficult ones, is what Degenhart enjoys about teaching.
“She likes working with at-risk kids. That’s kind of been her area of expertise over the last 10, 12 years,” explained Lakewood High School Assistant Principal Dan Bock. “I think kids come in feeling like, ‘Hey, there’s a chance that I can learn. I’ve not been successful in the past, but I can be successful with her.”
Her determination to help her students succeed, and all the work she puts into that, is what impresses her colleagues most.
“She’s an amazing person. She always puts the needs of other people first, which is hard to do. She uses all of her off periods to work with students, which means she takes all of her work home and she’s not alone. Other teachers do that, but she also…any need that one of her colleagues has, one of our teachers, she does the same thing – she always puts the needs of them first,” said Bock.
She’s a loyal Lakewood High School presence, as well. There’s rarely a game, choir, or band concert without Carol there bringing light into the lives of her fellow Tigers.
“Thanks, you’re the best – both friend and a colleague. You’ve made me a better math teacher and you’ve certainly made me a better assistant principal. You’re kind, conscientious, and caring. Please let me know how I can help that your career go for another 80 years,” said Bock.
Watch the JPS-TV version of this story here.