ROYAL SPOTLIGHT

Betsy Julien

5th & 6th grade teacher at Glen Lake Elementary

Betsy Julien has been the spokesperson for vigilant equity this year. She has guided her classroom at Glen Lake Elementary in their efforts to raise money for an accessible playground, so that students in wheelchairs can enjoy outdoor play time as much as any other child.

“My students have seen that as a barrier at our school, and are boldly leaning into fixing that discrepancy, and am so proud,” Julien said.

The students have been making headlines in local and national news for their fundraising efforts. Julien was recently featured on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" to talk about the project. The story is not only heartwarming, but it has shown students just how powerful their voices and actions can be as they find ways to better the community around them.

What do you think of how much publicity the accessibility project has achieved?

Our favorite part has been sitting down and reading all the emails, letters, stories, and notes that people have written. It has touched everyone’s hearts in such a beautiful way. People are seeing the good in the world and like me, they have hope for our future knowing that this is our next generation of change-makers.

A proud moment when you felt great about doing your job?

When former students email, write a letter, stop by for a visit, or post on social media. love hearing and seeing what amazing things they are doing with their lives. I also love to hear what they remember about school. It was usually a field trip or a special event — or that made them learn how to knit in class and they actually loved it!

Teaching philosophy: Be the kind kid!