Submitted story Brett Bitterman/Oro Grande Elementary Principal:

Carol Nowakowski is a born and bred Havasuvian and graduated from Lake Havasu High School 1990. Her life from an early age has been filled with the education gene. Her parents were both in education, with her dad a principal in the district, and her mom a certified librarian. Her children have both graduated from Lake Havasu High School.

When one thinks of adjectives to describe Nowakowski, at the forefront would be dedication, innovation and understanding.
Nowakowski has been a teacher in the Lake Havasu Unified School District for 27 years. The last eight years have been spent motivating, inspiring and educating students at Oro Grande Elementary.

She has demonstrated that to be successful in the classroom, innovation and technology must be incorporated into the classroom.

This year, she set up a time to Skype with Columbia, South America, and Portland, Ore., to discuss culture, school day and most importantly . . . the weather for a unit on science. This is a real-life, relevant and authentic audience for our Havasu students.

Students are challenged with cross-curricular activities that celebrate how to apply knowledge, principles and values to more than one academic discipline simultaneously. Understanding is such an important tool to have in one’s toolbox.

Nowakowski is counted on for a voice of reason. She understands students and all the intricacies that come with handling and supporting students. As the president of the Lake Havasu City Educators Association, she also advocates for our educators and our schools.