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Meet a St. Louis County teacher who goes above and beyond outside the classroom

Cockrell is a physical education and health teacher at Crestwood Elementary School

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County teacher received quite the surprise earlier this week!

Darrion Cockrell was named the Lindbergh Schools 2020 teacher of the year.

His colleagues, Board of Education members and family joined in a virtual surprise announcement on Zoom to share the exciting news with him on April 14.

Cockrell is a physical education and health teacher at Crestwood Elementary School.

“Building trusting, respectful relationships with students and families has been one of Mr. DC’s top priorities throughout his five years of teaching at Crestwood Elementary School. He also works tirelessly to promote a healthy community by motivating, inspiring and pushing his coworkers and students every day,” a school spokesperson said in a press release.

He uses dance, exercise and athletic games to teach students the fundamentals of body movement and promote teamwork among students.

Outside of the classroom, Cockrell participates in a variety of extracurricular activities to promote exercise and fitness. He is the Read, Right, Run coordinator for Crestwood, the creator of ‘Crest-Fit’ training for teachers and parents, and an after-hours host of ‘Dads Club Open Gym’ for his school families.

“Mr. DC lights up a room and is a positive presence for everyone,” said Crestwood Principal Dr. Jodi Oliver. “His innate nature for building relationships and finding ways to connect with kids is the foundation of his work.  Kids absolutely love him! He has a passion for students, staff, and family health and wellness and it shows in everything he does. We are so lucky to work with him every single day.”

As Lindbergh’s Teacher of the Year, Cockrell will now be in the running for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Regional Teacher of the Year award, which will be announced later this spring.

Also outside of the classroom, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he's been making fitness videos with his 3-year-old son.

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