Janet Green — who was recently named Prince Edward County’s Teacher of the Year, is much more than a physical education teacher at Prince Edward County High School.

She’s woman from whom we can all take a lesson from on how to better serve our community.

Aside from being an educator who goes above and beyond the call of duty to teach her students, she performs and works in many volunteer roles in the community.

She’s chair of the Greater Farmville Green Waste Committee, active in the Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts and Friends of the Appomattox River.

“That’s exceptional,” Division Superintendent Dr. Barbara Johnson said during the award presentation. “I don’t know where you find the time to do all of that, but that is exceptional.”

In addition to her duties in the classroom and in the community, Green has been the force behind an effort to develop an outdoor classroom behind the high school — one we’ve documented in this publication through numerous stories and photos.

The outdoor classroom, once complete, will feature a figure-8 nature trail, a community circle and benches. A butterfly garden is also planned. It’s Green’s hope that the outdoor classroom will be interdisciplinary for the students who visit, she told The Herald in an earlier interview.

Her project is one that’s brought the community together. Recently, students from Hampden-Sydney College, along with volunteers from the community, helped to fell trees and cut brush in developing the trail. Students from Longwood University and public schools have also helped.

“All of us up here, we couldn’t be up here without the rest of the staff of Prince Edward,” Green said, receiving her award alongside other nominees for Teacher of the Year. “It’s just, you know, we’re kind of representing everybody up here, so I feel, like, everybody said, honored that I would be singled out, but I couldn’t do it without anybody else, so thank you so much.”

We commend Green for her prestigious and well-deserved award.