Ask anyone in the community, and they’ll tell you the same thing—Cairo is a place of resilience, where people stand committed to lifting their town toward brighter days. No one embodies this spirit more than Sarah Garrett, a third through sixth-grade reading and language arts teacher whose dedication to the students of Cairo is as constant as the rivers that border the town.

Born and raised in Cairo, Sarah never felt the pull to leave the place she calls home. “I always knew I wanted to give back to where I came from,” she says, reflecting on her upbringing in a close-knit community where not everyone had the same opportunities. “Some kids had more advantages than others growing up, but I always felt that the kids here, our babies, needed to know they have people who care. They need to hear positivity—because there’s a lot of talent here in Cairo.”

That belief in the potential of Cairo’s children has shaped Sarah’s 21-year career as an educator. From the start, she knew this was her calling. As a young student at Emerson, Bennett Elementary, and later Cairo Junior High and High School, Sarah was fortunate to have teachers who believed in her, like Mrs. Gloria Wiggins, her second-grade teacher, who saw past the difficulties of her home life to encourage her potential.

“Mrs. Wiggins knew my dad was raising four kids on his own, and she always took the time to let me know that I was smart enough, that I could do anything I set my mind to,” Sarah remembers. “She didn’t just say it in school. She’d stop her car if she saw me in the community and ask how I was doing. It meant everything to me. I wanted to be that kind of person for other kids.”

Now, as an educator herself, Sarah is doing just that—building connections with her students and creating a space where they can thrive. Whether it’s third graders still learning to grasp the basics or sixth graders refining their skills, she’s helping them build a foundation that will serve them for the rest of their lives. “Reading is so foundational to everything else,” Sarah explains. “Even in math and science, if you don’t have strong reading skills, you’re going to struggle.”

It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly. “Our students don’t always come in with a solid foundation, especially in reading, so we work hard to fill those gaps,” she says. “I try to make it as interesting as possible, especially for those who don’t feel confident. We play games, we read articles on things they’re passionate about, like their favorite NBA players, artists, or singers—anything to keep them engaged.”

And it’s working. Sarah’s enthusiasm for reading and learning is infectious. Her students aren’t just learning to read—they’re learning to love it. “I had one student come in and tell me about something they read online about Kobe Bryant’s life before the NBA,” Sarah recalls, smiling. “That’s what it’s all about—getting them to take initiative, to be curious, and to see reading as something that connects them to the world.”

But Sarah’s work goes far beyond academics. In a community where opportunities can feel scarce, she’s also helping her students build self-esteem and believe in themselves. “Our kids have a lot of potential, but they don’t always believe it,” she says. “Just because you’re from Cairo doesn’t mean you don’t count. We’ve had people come from here who’ve become millionaires. If they can do it, so can these kids.”

As technology becomes a bigger part of the classroom, Sarah is careful to embrace it in a way that enhances learning while keeping students grounded in reality. “Technology is such a big motivator for our students,” she says. “It brings the world into the classroom—we can look up pictures of places we’ve never been, research things we’ve never seen. But we also have to teach them to use it wisely, to discern what’s real and what’s not. It’s like water: You need it to survive, but you have to respect it or it can drown you.”

At the heart of all her efforts, Sarah’s goal is simple but profound: to help Cairo’s students understand their worth. “I want them to know they can make it. They can do anything they set their minds to,” she says. “They’re worth it, and they need to feel that—not just know it, but truly feel it.”

For Sarah, this isn’t just a job—it’s a mission rooted in love for her hometown and its children. And after 21 years in the district, she’s more committed than ever. “I told my principal on the day I was hired, ‘I want to retire from here,’ and I still feel that way,” she says. “Cairo is my home, and these kids—they’re our future. We’re going to keep working, keep pushing, and keep believing, because they’re worth it.”

In a town where challenges abound, Sarah Garrett stands as a beacon of hope, guiding her students toward a future where they believe in themselves and their community. And just like Cairo itself, with people like Sarah leading the way, the best is yet to come.