Sponsors of the Birdville ISD Teacher of the Year Gala included IN2 Architecture, Inc. and HKS Architects as Golden Sponsors, the Birdville Education Foundation as a Silver Sponsor, Texan Graduation Supply - Herff Jones, INSURICA, VLK Architects and Bob and Susan Griggs as a Bronze Sponsor, Fort Worth Community Credit Union, Five Star Ford, Brio Direct, EECU and VLK Architects as a Stargazer Sponsor, and Tito and Sue Rodriguez as Partner Sponsors. City partnerships included North Richland Hills, Richland Hills and Watauga.

In Hardeman Elementary School teacher Calli DeJarnett’s classroom, math lessons are only part of the equation. Beyond multiplication tables and problem-solving strategies, her classroom is built on something just as important: trust. 

It’s a place where students are encouraged to take risks, work through challenges, and believe in themselves — often for the very first time.

A third-grade math teacher, DeJarnett is completing her 12th year as an educator and her sixth year teaching third grade math. While she is proud of the academic growth her students achieve, she says the most impactful milestones in her classroom cannot be measured by test scores.

“Some of my most meaningful moments … have come from the relationships built within my classroom,” DeJarnett said in her application. “For many [students], our classroom became a place of consistency, encouragement, and belonging.”

Those relationships are what set her apart, and it is one of the reasons she was named Birdville ISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year at the district’s annual Teacher of the Year Gala on Thursday night. DeJarnett was selected as the BISD Elementary Teacher of the Year from a pool of 19 applicants, consisting of teachers from all BISD elementary campuses. 

DeJarnett, along with BISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year, Sherri Holt, will receive monetary awards from the Birdville Education Foundation, the Susan Griggs Exceptional Teaching Award Endowment, and EECU. They will also receive a personalized ring and golden apple from Herff Jones.  In addition, DeJarnett and all of the BISD Teachers of the Year received gifts from local partners including the Birdville Education Foundation, city of Richland Hills, Chick-fil-A, TCP Catering, Heavenly Crust and Andy’s Frozen Custard.

In her application, DeJarnett recalled one student who entered her classroom carrying overwhelming anxiety, often beginning each day in tears. Through intentional routines, patience, and trust, that student transformed over the course of the year, growing in confidence and eventually encouraging classmates facing similar struggles.

For DeJarnett, moments like that are what define the heart of teaching.

She believes classrooms are among the most powerful places of hope, where students learn far more than academics. They learn whether their voice matters, whether mistakes are opportunities for growth, and whether they can trust the adults guiding them.

Her teaching philosophy centers on blending rigorous, data-informed instruction with deep human connection, creating engaging lessons while fiercely protecting the culture of joy, curiosity, and dignity in her classroom. And as far as she is concerned, the greatest evidence of impact often comes years later – with former students running up for hugs, chanting her name at assemblies, or stopping by to say they still remember her classroom as a place where they belonged.

“The students who are the hardest to reach are often the ones who need us the most,” DeJarnett said. “Beneath the behaviors, the silence, or even the defiance, they are often quietly asking for connection, consistency, and care. They are not pushing us away. They are hoping we will stay.”