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NORWAY -- For 26 years, Shelly Danielson has been teaching art to Norway students despite being born without her right hand.  But she's used her supposed "disability" as a teaching tool.

"I think that it probably has made me work harder to be better at what I do,” said Danielson.  “But also to let my kids know that everybody has something themselves they don't care for and that if you accept it and you realize you use it to your advantage, it really can be that."

Norway students have earned more than a dozen national awards during Danielson's tenure despite having fewer than 800 students in the district.

But it's Danielson's compassion that students will remember most.

"The reason I like her so much is you can tell she cares about you,” said Norway senior Justin Fila.  “She doesn't just care about your work, she cares about you as a person."

"You can really tell that there's something special about her,” said Norway junior Izetta Boss.  “She just really puts her best foot forward and tries to do everything for the kids, and that really shows."

Danielson's last day has left her with mixed emotions as she says goodbye to her students.

"I'm excited for them because they get the opportunity to get someone new, and I think they'll learn from that,” she said.  “But I'm really sad because I love it here, so saying goodbye to my kids is really hard."

Danielson will continue teaching art classes on a part-time basis at the college level, however, she's unsure what that next step will be.  One thing's for sure though--she plans on being a positive influence on people's lives.