Rising Star recipient finds calling helping students succeed

Wagoner High School Spanish teacher Mark Hayes wears many hats in his role as an educator in Oklahoma.

Hayes, a graduate of Northeastern State University, recently received the Rising Star Award from the Oklahoma Department of Education at the Oklahoma State Fair in September.

This award in particular has shown me that others are watching, that a teachers efforts are noticed and that Oklahoma is appreciative of them, said Hayes.

The Rising Star Award is a state title that came with two $500 checks from private organizations, as well as a membership in the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Originally, Hayes wanted a career in law enforcement. His desire to be a state trooper or federal agent pushed him to pursue a degree that would make him as marketable an employee as possible. When he earned his bachelors in Spanish in 2002, teaching was not his top career choice. After a stint in law enforcement, Hayes decided a career change was in order and began looking at education.

Hayes entered the alternative certification program, which aids people without education degrees in becoming state certified to teach. Not long after Hayes began his career at Wagoner High School in 2004, he took over teaching Spanish classes after the teacher left in the middle of the school year.

I had no idea when I accepted the position of Spanish teacher, my eyes would be opened to something for which I had an inner passion, said Hayes. Teaching is what motivates me to get out of bed each day and make a difference.

It didn't take long for Hayes to realize that being a teacher is more than a job, it was his calling.

I understand why my parents were educators for more than thirty years, said Hayes. Teaching is in my blood. We prepare the leaders of the future, and it is a worthy cause that I love.

Hayes helped bring the Zeroes Arent Permitted (ZAP) program to WHS, which helped reduce the number of failing students by an average of 30 per week during its introductory school year. This program gives students who have not turned their homework in a second chance to earn their grades by attending in this before school program.

I am leading a team to develop a data collection instrument designed to provide information about why students drop out of school, said Hayes. We plan to use this information to help more students graduate from high school.

Hayes duties include freshman class sponsor, chair of the Safe and Healthy School Committee, and director of the summer driver education program.

Hayes also earned a Master of Education in School Administration from NSU in 2007.

My greatest contribution and accomplishment in education is seeing my students learn, graduate and successfully move on with their lives, said Hayes. I have to fight back tears every time one of my former students visits and thanks me for helping them get to where they are today. I have come to realize that education is a cause to which I wish to devote myself for decades to come.

Upon receiving the WHS Teacher of the Year award in March, he went on to receive the Wagoner Public Schools District Teacher of the Year award in April.

The Rising Star award has re-energized me, said Hayes. It has given me a renewed burst of motivation. Although it has set the bar high, I want to move it higher.