Hometown honor: Local teacher gets to go to Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. - It started back during the pandemic – and they called it Health Care Heroes.

Augusta National Golf Club awarded Masters tickets to those in the health care field working on the front lines of COVID.

The program has evolved into Hometown Heroes, with local heroes in our community, Teachers of the Year, First Responders of the Year and community leaders doing incredible work in the community.

We caught up with a special teacher who embodies what the program is all about.

Uyen Griffis learned of the honor on a quiet day in her special needs classroom at Hammond Hill Elementary. Griffis didn’t have a clue what was coming down the hall

“So I one of my students saying, ‘Miss Griffis, there’s a lot of people at the door,’” she said.

She was in the middle of a tactile learning lesson when the superintendent and several school leaders came into her classroom.

She’s been doing this for 28 years, so when they handed her the envelope, she turned the whole thing into a lesson.

“And I let the kids feel that, and of course, I’ve got a lot of nonreaders, but I open it up and it said ‘ticket to the Masters. And so just, you know, just so excited and elated,” she said.

She’s been soaking in the sights and sounds of Augusta National Golf Club with her daughter McKenna, eager to tell her students about her adventures when they get back from spring break.

It’s unsolicited praise and recognition, for a teacher who teaches from the heart.

“I just want to make a difference in the lives of all children, you know, ages 3 to 21,” she said. “And I want to be able to make an impact, even on the parents raising these babies and adults, as well.”

One person who knows how deserving she is, her daughter.

“She’s actually an immigrant to the state. So as the daughter of an immigrant, she continues to encourage me, to inspire me, honestly has changed my trajectory for the better,” she said.

“Because of someone like her, and her drive and her grit, I’m now able to apply to medical school. So she truly is my hometown hero.”

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