Hillcrest School makes history with three top-educator awards

For the first time in the 157-year history of Marion County Public Schools, three educators in the same school were recognized for three separate honors: Principal of the Year, Rookie Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year.

Kevin Christian, director of public relations for Marion County Public Schools, said officials believe this is the first time that one school has earned all three awards in the same year.

Lori Manresa earned Principal of the Year last November, and Stephanie Stephens was named Rookie Teacher of the Year in December. What the Public Education Foundation of Marion County is referring to as the “Triple Crown” was completed when Zanita Hendry was announced as the Marion County Teacher of the Year at the 36th Annual Golden Apple Gala on Jan. 31.

Hillcrest, founded in 1971, has provided valuable educational and training programs for Marion County students with cognitive disabilities in grades six through 12, according to its website. The program focuses on independence through different therapies, community-based instruction, assistive technology and a work-study training program with job coaching.

“Every child has the opportunity here, we’re going to provide those opportunities,” Manresa said. “This is going to be the best educational experience they will have while in the public school system … helping kids is the ultimate goal.”

This mission is achieved by teachers, like Stephens, who help students learn life skills.

Stephens earned her degree in communications from Brigham Young University and did not originally plan to teach. But, after teaching English for a semester abroad in Thailand, she fell in love with the profession. She joined Hillcrest in 2024 as a special needs paraprofessional and quickly pursued her teaching license, stepping into her own classroom in 2025.

In her first year, Stephens made her mark with her hands-on, relationship-driven and championing approach. She builds strong personal connections and tailors instruction to the specific needs of her eight students. She said she helped one nonverbal student communicate using a device, allowing him to participate more in class.

“We focus on small growth, even if it looks very small,” Stephens said. “We focus on big wins. We like to celebrate every little thing in our class. We like to laugh a lot.”

Manresa said Stephens’ strength lies in her ability to connect and adapt.

“She opens up her toolbox and brings all the tools to the table to see what works for each individual child,” Manresa said. “She sees them from where they’re at, and she has a mindset of growth to see how far she can get them. And that was clear from day one.”

Manresa recalled placing Stephens in a challenging classroom as a paraprofessional because she believed she would grow into a successful teacher. Now, Stephens is not only Marion County’s Rookie Teacher of the Year but also the first rookie teacher from Hillcrest to earn that honor.

Eventually, Manresa believes Stephens will be named Teacher of the Year.

“She is poised, she’s articulate, she’s confident, and she impacts children every day in a positive way, so who could ask for more?” Manresa said.

Though Hendry and Stephens have different teaching styles, both were honored for the impact they have on students. Stephens’ classroom highlights independence, and Hendry’s work shows how creativity builds confidence and creates connections.

Hendry received her degree from the University of Central Florida while working as a paraprofessional at Hillcrest in 2014. She balanced a full-time job with night school while helping put her daughter through college as a single mother, earning her educator certification in 2016.

In 2018, she pioneered Hillcrest’s first art program.

“I feel like it [special education] chose me more than I chose it,” Hendry said.

Hillcrest had no arts program until a community referendum provided funding. Hendry built the program from the ground up as its first and only teacher.

In 2020, she and her assistant, Laura McCutcheon, founded Hillcrest’s annual art show to ensure students had opportunities to display their work — opportunities she said that are often unavailable at district showcases.

Now in its sixth year, the two-day show fills the school gym and attracts area residents.

“The students sell their artwork, which is a big deal because a lot of our students don’t have an opportunity to make money,” Hendry said. “It’s kind of bridged the gap between school and community, and it has been a celebration of our students’ talents. Every year it gets bigger and bigger.”

Each show features an immersive theme. One year, an “under the sea” theme included a glow-in-the-dark art space. Hendry and her student-artists dress to match the theme, and this year’s 1950s theme will include an antique car display on April 20-21.

The event’s growing popularity has prompted generous donations and increased Hillcrest’s art budget by over 50%, Hendry said. It also creates opportunities for students beyond the artwork itself. The show not only gives student-artists the chance to display their work, but it also gives other students the opportunity to get involved.

“Some of our work-study students are learning how to work at an event, so they welcome guests, or they pass out brochures, or they work at the game table, or they’ll take you on a tour around to show you all the artwork,” Hendry said.

Although Hendry teaches all 180 students at Hillcrest, she still makes each child feel seen. Heather Schneider, whose daughter Hannah has Down syndrome and an expressive language delay, said art class has given her a way to express herself.

“She’s creating artists, she isn’t just kind of taking the easy way out and making it just kind of simple art,” Schneider said. “She really is pushing our kids to reach their full potential and create masterpieces.”

At the center of Hillcrest’s success is Lori Manresa, who has served as an administrator at Hillcrest for 25 years and as principal since 2008. She credits the school’s culture to a shared mission, rooted in compassion and high expectations. Her philosophy is simple: love kids.

“One of the things I ask at an interview … My first question to them is, ‘Do you love kids?’ Manresa said. “Because if you can love kids, genuinely love them, I can teach you to do everything else, even get certified.”

She prioritizes staff development, helping paraprofessionals become teachers and providing the resources they need to do so. This loving and supportive environment, she said, spreads.

After 36 years in education, Manresa is retiring on a high note. She learned that she had won Principal of the Year when she was surprised by a caravan during a school rock concert. At the time, she did not know two more Hillcrest educators would soon earn countywide honors.

Although it is difficult to depart from what she calls her “family,” Manresa hopes to leave behind a legacy of compassion, empathy and high expectations. She is most proud of the opportunities Hillcrest provides students who might not otherwise have them.

“When you put passionate people in front of children that have struggles … those changes can occur,” Manresa said.“Here, we embrace the kids that have the difficulties because they need it so much more.”

Now, Hendry will move on to represent Marion County in the state-level Teacher of the Year competition. She also won a three-year prepaid lease on a 2026 Genesis G70 car from Jenkins Auto Group.

For Manresa, the awards ultimately point back to the students and the people who show up for them every day. This commitment is what makes Hillcrest magical, Schneider said.

That dedication is also on display in Stephens’ classroom, where instruction is nontraditional, focusing on movement and activity. Students start mornings by creating schedules and completing independent work, typically followed by breakfast and small-group vocabulary, reading and motor skill activities.

Stefanie Keister, Stephens’ paraprofessional, cried as she described the passion and love that filled the room. She said Stephens’ energy makes her want to come to work every day.

“It just shows, you come into the classroom, and you sit down, and you watch her teach, you just see it,” Keister said.

Throughout the week, students practice and learn different life skills in the school’s “Life Center,” a portable trailer designed as an apartment, where they learn to do chores such as make beds, vacuuming and washing dishes. Students also participate in electives, including art, music and physical education, along with therapeutic horseback riding.

“I just think that really Hillcrest is so special because it sees ability before disability,” Schneider said.