TOP OF THE CLASS

Shot on location at the Loxahatchee Schoolhouse in Yesteryear Village, West Palm Beach

If you’ve been lucky enough to have a truly great teacher in your life, then you know they have the ability to make the kind of impact that can’t be erased. These six finalists for Palm Beach Illustrated’s 2021 Teacher of the Year are curious and kind. They’re passionate and patient. They reach students who seem unreachable and teach concepts that seem unteachable. And they do it all to make a genuine difference in the lives of their students.

Ariana Murphy

ACCELERATED MATH TEACHER, BELLE GLADE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ariana Murphy is a teacher moving the needle: Her students have tested so well over the last several years that their scores were instrumental in Belle Glade Elementary School’s overall letter grade increasing from a D to a C in 2019. Murphy believes helping students achieve new levels of success comes down to fostering relationships. “You’ve got to give them the knowledge and the tool set,” she says. “But you’ve also got to work to gain their trust so they have the confidence to use what you’ve taught them—in life or on a test.”

Murphy is known for thinking outside the classroom. For five years, she has