KANSAS CITY, Mo. — FOX4 is proud to honor local educators making an impact in their communities.

October’s “Teacher of the Month” is Matthew Mabrey, who teaches science at Walden Middle School in the Park Hill School District.

Mr. Mabrey has been teaching for almost 20 years, 12 of them in Park Hill.

“I tell the students on the first day, it’s the job I would pick over again if I could,” he told FOX4. “Because it doesn’t get boring.”

One of his current students and her family nominated Mr. Mabrey for the award. FOX4 spoke to some of his students during our visit to the classroom. They say Mr. Mabrey is known for his sense of humor and positive energy.

“I remember the first day of school.” seventh grader Izzy Grijalva said. “I didn’t want to be here, and he made me feel welcome. He always cracks jokes in class.”

“Whenever you need help, he just helps you and he seems to like enjoy his job,” fellow classmate Luke Holtam said. “He just has a fun style of teaching.”

Mr. Mabrey and his students also give back each quarter. They’ve raised money for charities such as the Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City.

He received a $750 gift card as his prize. If you have a favorite educator in the area you’d like to nominate, you can do so here. Each month’s winner gets a $750 gift card and is featured on FOX4 News.

FOX4’s Teacher of the Month contest is sponsored by Volkswagen Lee’s Summit.