After its first March meeting was snowed out, members of the Kiwanis Club of Pell City met March 19 to recognize Lorena Reid from Walter M. Kennedy School as the organization’s Teacher of the Month.

Reid serves as Kennedy Elementary’s Instructional Support Specialist. She has a total of 20 years experience in public education. She earned a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education for St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, N.Y. and a M.Ed. in Reading from State University of New York. She has been at Kennedy Elementary for the last 10 years. She was a special education teacher for 12 years, a first grade teacher for five years, and has been in her current position for three years.

“Mrs. Reid has been such a blessing to our school, and to me personally,” said Kennedy Principal Dr. Leah Stover. “As an instructional support specialist, she’s not you typical classroom teacher. She works with small groups of struggling and accelerated students to meet their individual needs.”

Reid, an Odenville resident, said she was grateful to Kiwanis for the recognition.

“No man is an island, and neither is any organization,” she said. “It’s because of what you do to improve the lives of children, and what we do, that’s meaningful. I certainly couldn’t do it on my own.”

“It’s definitely a team effort,” she added. “We all want the very best for our students and for them to reach their highest potential. We want them to be safe and to know that they’re cared for.”