The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) recently named Howard Payne University alumna Bobbette Bell ’87 as one of nine recipients of the Baptist Educators Serving Texans (B.E.S.T.) Award.

The B.E.S.T. awards are presented annually to individual Christian educators who live out their faith daily among their students and the Texas Baptist institutions that are the award recipients’ alma maters. Each recipient is an educator working in the Texas public school system, an alumnus or alumna representing one of the nine Texas Baptist universities and a member of a BGCT-supportive church.

After graduating from HPU in 1987, Bell began teaching business education classes at Mart Independent School District, where she met her husband, Rodney. While at Mart, she transitioned to teaching computer classes and later became the technology director for the school. She served for 15 years in the school district before moving to Salado High School.

She taught computer classes and was involved with journalism and yearbook courses at Salado. She now serves as the librarian for Salado High School. She and her husband are active members of First Baptist Church Salado. Bell is also a past president of the HPU Alumni Association.

Through a teaching career that has allowed her to teach multiple focuses and watch technology evolve, Bell says a few things have remained consistent.

“In whatever position I’ve held, the best part has always been the students – the relationships that we as teachers are able to build with them and their families,” she said. “Wow – just thinking about it is pretty overwhelming. I’m always so honored and so flattered when I receive a wedding invitation, a baby shower invitation, or a college graduation invitation from a former student.”

The joy that Bell finds in watching her students achieve successes later in life represents her efforts in the classroom to encourage students to never be deterred by new challenges.

“First and foremost, I want the relationship that I establish with my students to be a professional relationship,” Bell said. “Then, I want to make sure that those students are challenged. I want to make sure that at some point, as a result of my influence on them, they have been able to accomplish something that they didn’t think they could accomplish. I think that is paramount in the learning process.”

Bell expressed her gratitude as recipient of the B.E.S.T. Award and her appreciation for the work of many other educators.

“I am so very flattered and so very appreciative of the award,” she said. “Throughout my career, I have encountered amazing educators who are so deserving of awards like this one. I know that there are countless deserving educators who came through the School of Education at HPU, who are probably deserving of this award, if not more deserving than I am.”

Dr. Kylah Clark-Goff, dean of the HPU School of Education and professor of education, commented on how Bell represents the impact of HPU alumni in education.

“Mrs. Bell is a wonderful example of the quality educator prepared in HPU’s School of Education,” she said. “HPU is blessed with outstanding students who are passionate about the teaching profession and making a difference as they serve in the mission field of Texas’ public schools.”

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