Selecting a Teacher of the Year is a tradition done within Cherry Creek Schools for years and years. The process of choosing a Teacher of the Year is detailed and time consuming. The committee in charge of doing so comes together after students and staff, as well as people from the community, vote on who they think deserves this title. This year, Band Director Jason Mabrey, was chosen.

     Mabrey has taught for 14 years now; eight of these years have been at Eaglecrest. His career has spanned to a variety of performing arts at middle schools other than band, including choir and orchestra; however, his ultimate dream has always been clear.

     “I’ve wanted to be a [high school] music teacher since I was a freshman in high school, so this is the perfect gig,” he said. “This is the place I’ve thought about forever.”

     What he hadn’t planned for in his career was being awarded Teacher of the Year.

     “My very, very first reaction was shock,” he said. “As you can tell, I still feel very blown away by it. I am really thankful and very honored by it.”

     Despite his shock, Mabrey has many attributes a teacher should have in order to be given the honor of being Teacher of the Year. According to principal Gwen Hansen-Vigil, his drive to better his students both in band and as a person is one of his biggest qualities.

     “It’s not a job for him—it’s a calling,” she said. “He’s very connected to the curriculum and the content in terms of music, but also developing the whole person in giving kids great experiences.”

     The experiences Mabrey seeks to give his band students include taking field trips to band competitions at CSU Pueblo and allowing the students to showcase their talent to the community at the parade at Southlands Mall and the Parade of Lights in Downtown Denver.

     “The marching band has just grown over the years not just in terms of numbers but in terms of the energy and the excitement and the quality of what the group puts out there,” Hansen-Vigil said.

     The band truly seeks to reach the Eaglecrest community in many ways as well, performing at pep rallies and sports games.

     “The band has a huge impact on the atmosphere of every single game,” Athletics Director Vince Orlando said. “That enthusiasm they consistently bring to every game is something we really value and appreciate.”

     While Mabrey truly prepares the students to perform at these places, he believes his teaching goes beyond this.

     “I think probably the biggest thing I love about being a teacher is just caring for kids. As a band teacher, I am lucky in that I get these kids for four years,” he said. “I really get to know the kids.”

Photo By: Caleb Sewell
   Moving forward, Mabrey hopes to continue building these relationships with his students and pushing them to constantly improve, which he believes improves who he is as well.

     “It’s a very symbiotic thing in performing arts. The better they are, the better I am, and the better I teach and conduct, the better they are,” he said. “It just goes in circles that way.”

     While Mabrey’s plan of a dream career had never included getting Teacher of the Year, he is still very honored to have received the title this year.

     “If I was to spend every minute of my career at Eaglecrest, only 25 people are going to get that award,” he said. “When I think about that, it’s pretty humbling.”