A New York native, Rankie joined Mauka Lani Elementary in 2011 as a general education fifth-grade teacher after another teacher unexpectedly resigned during the first week of school, leaving a vacancy for a general-education position in an inclusion classroom.

“Without any hesitation Bryan volunteered to move to the inclusion classroom, explaining that he felt comfortable taking on the extra responsibility,” recalled Ferrara. “This was our first experience with Bryan’s selflessness.”

Through Rankie’s hard work and dedication, students in his inclusion class have closed the achievement gap and met federal annual progress benchmarks. And his dedication to students extends beyond the classroom.

During Rankie’s first year of teaching, he took on many new roles and responsibilities, including coaching both the school basketball and track teams –not only to increase their athletic abilities, but also so he could better support his students academically. Rankie plans on implementing what he learns about all students in his recently elected position as School Community Council co-chair. Rankie accepted the new post to improve his understanding of what is happening in the community, school and, eventually, his classroom.