It was recognition that couldn’t have come at a better time.

Regional Teacher of the Year Elizabeth Loftus recently vied for the Washington State Teacher of the Year Award.

Although she didn’t win the state honor, it was a monumental achievement and honor to be nominated, said Loftus.

Before being named Regional Teacher of the Year, Loftus said she was almost ready to resign and pursue a different career after eight years at Olympic View Elementary.

“It was the end of a rough year and I was really burnt out,” said Loftus.

Loftus, a special education teacher at Olympic View Elementary school in Oak Harbor, won the Regional Teacher of the Year Award last summer, putting her automatically in the running for the statewide honor against eight other teachers from across Washington.

As a board-certified behavioral analyst, Loftus teaches students with emotional and behavioral disorders, or EBD. She began her career teaching special education at a middle school located in an area that provided some significant roadblocks to student learning, including poverty, gangs and abuse.

Olympic View Principal Laura Aesoph praises Loftus and her teaching abilities, and explained why she believes Loftus stood out amongst many other great teachers.

“Last year was really challenging for the program,” said Aesoph, referring to the school’s special education program. “There were lots of staff changes and challenges, but Liz kept things going strong and positive for the kids and families.”

Olympic View, Aesoph added, has a high percentage of special education students, and the entire staff works collaboratively to help the kids grow and learn.

“Liz is very gifted, but her colleagues really make a difference when the team works with her,” said Aesoph.

“We have always been proud and amazed by Liz. Now it is great to have others know about what a great program she runs,” said Aesoph.

“She is an amazing resource.”

“The real winners are the students,” said Conor Laffey, the Oak Harbor School District’s communication officer.

One of the challenges for Olympic View Elementary staff is that it is designated as an exceptional family member, or “EFM base,” meaning there is a higher concentration of special needs students, according to Loftus.

“There is such a high teacher turnover and no retention,” Loftus said. Some don’t even last a year. We’ve gone through five teachers in the last five years.”

In addition to high teacher turnover at Olympic View, Loftus said, there are other challenges, including larger-than-normal class size and a lack of resources.

Though she considered moving on, Loftus said she made the decision to stay and continue working with the team she had built.

“I try to stay positive and I have amazing people supporting me, and that makes it easier,” Loftus said. “One of the things that makes me a successful teacher is the amazing team around me.”

Originally from New York, Loftus said it was a need for a change of scenery that brought her to Oak Harbor.

“I was really lucky,” she said. “I grew up in a small town where my dad was mayor, so Oak Harbor was a good fit.”