Orem teacher, ‘massive Jazz fan’ receives Most Valuable Educator award from NBA team
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- Orem Elementary teacher Terry Hodson poses with the Utah Jazz mascot, Jazz dancers and his students after receiving the Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educator award Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.
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- Orem Elementary teacher Terry Hodson shows off his custom jersey with the Utah Jazz mascot, Jazz Bear, after receiving the Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educator award Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.
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- Utah Jazz mascot Jazz Bear throws confetti during an assembly for Orem Elementary teacher Terry Hodson, who received the Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educator award Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.
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- Orem Elementary teacher Terry Hodson poses with the Utah Jazz mascot, Jazz dancers and his students after receiving the Utah Jazz Most Valuable Educator award Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024.
Longtime Orem Elementary School teacher Terry Hodson was awarded the Utah Jazz’s Most Valuable Educator award Thursday during a school assembly.
Elementary students, teachers and administrators gathered for the assembly where Hodson, who teaches sixth grade and has been a teacher for 38 years, was surprised and presented with the award in front of the school.
The assembly was complete with a visit from Jazz Bear, the Utah Jazz mascot, leading to loud cheers and applause from students as he ran into the assembly with confetti.
The furry mascot gave Hodson prizes from the NBA team, including a Utah Jazz jersey with Hodson’s name on the back, $1,000 and suite tickets for an upcoming Jazz game. The award and assembly was a surprise for Hodson, who is retiring this year.
Ryan Rocque, Orem Elementary School principal, described Hodson as a “legend” at the school and in Alpine School District and an “exemplary teacher.”
“He has just a way with kids that no one else does,” Rocque said. “He loves the kids so much, even after 38 years. He’s just continued to grow and improve every single year.”
Kaitlyn Jones, community relations director for the Utah Jazz, who helped present the award, said they received almost 1,000 submissions during their search for educators to recognize.
“We heard a lot of really great things about Mr. Hodson. We heard he’s a really great teacher at Orem Elementary and you guys seem to agree with that, right?” she said while introducing the award, with students cheering in agreement.
Jones read off some of the submissions they had received detailing Hodson’s impact on the school through his dedication to the students.
One submission Jones read mentioned Hodson playing basketball with students, saying, “You can find him at recess shooting hoops with all the kids. He’s always encouraging them outside and it inspires them to work harder on their learning inside.”
Rocque said when he used to teach at a nearby junior high school, he would have Hodson’s former students come into his class and praise the elementary school teacher.
“It’s rare to find someone that not only has been in the profession this long, but at one school, and just has impacted so many generations of kids,” Rocque said.
Rocque said Hodson’s biggest impact on the school was taking in “tough kids” and helping them rediscover a “love of learning.”
“He’s so good at creating like this classroom environment that’s just accepting and loving,” the principal said. “Everything that he does promotes learning in such a high way.”
Rocque said when they’ve put students who are struggling in Hodson’s class, he takes it as an opportunity to help the student, whereas another teacher might look at it as a challenge.
“You can’t be a student in Mr. Hodson’s class and not know that he loves you and cares about you,” he said. “And that translates into learning, right?”
With Hodson also being a “massive Jazz fan,” Rocque said he’s very happy for him.
“I know there are lots of different awards that he’s gotten over the years,” he said. “But I’m sure he’ll treasure this one because of how big of a fan he is.”
Alpine School District’s website shows that Hodson also has been nominated for the district’s RISE award, which allows for the district to recognize a few “remarkable, inspiring, selfless and encouraging” employees during the monthly board meeting.
