Relationships are Root of Success for ALES ExCEL Award Nominee

At Abraham Lincoln Elementary School (ALES), one name stands out to students and faculty alike: Erin Bratcher.

As a second-grade teacher and a 2025 ExCEL Award nominee, Bratcher embodies what it means to be a dedicated, compassionate, and impactful educator. Her commitment to fostering student success and her deep-rooted love for her community make her a deserving honoree.

Bratcher said the call to teach started in her childhood.

“When I was growing up, there was a teacher who made a huge difference in my life,” she said. “I knew from that point onward that I wanted to pass that on to the students I would be teaching.”

That passion led her back to the very community that shaped her.

“I went to school at Magnolia Elementary School and knew, after seeing it and Buffalo Elementary School combine, that I wanted to become a teacher here in this community I love,” she explained. Now, as a second-grade teacher at ALES, she is fulfilling that lifelong dream, touching lives one student at a time.

Bratcher's ability to connect with her students and provide them with the support they need has not gone unnoticed. ALES Principal Tina Nessbit speaks highly of Bratcher's approach to teaching.

“Erin is the type of teacher here at ALES that takes the initiative to figure out what each of her students needs to be successful,” Nessbit said. “Some of the things I’ve observed in watching Erin is her ability to collaborate with her fellow teachers and how she gets one-on-one time to give her students exactly what they need.”

This sentiment is echoed by Bratcher's colleagues, including Allison Elmore, a kindergarten teacher at ALES who worked alongside Bratcher for nine years.

“Erin is an exceptional teacher,” Elmore said. “What sticks out to me the most about her is her relationship with her students. It’s full of respect with her never having to raise her voice. Even seeing her in the hallway with her students, you can see how calm she is in interacting with them, and it’s the type of relationship I strive to have with my students.”

For Erin, the ExCEL Award nomination is an honor, but the real reward is the opportunity to impact her students’ lives.

“I love working here – it’s an honor to have the opportunity to impact the children’s lives here in my home community,” she says.

Her dedication to education, her unwavering commitment to her students, and her deep roots in the community make Bratcher a shining example of what it means to be an outstanding educator. As ALES celebrates her ExCEL Award nomination, Bratcher hopes that impact will continue to be felt for generations to come.