She ‘never stopped living’: Lexington teacher gets award after losing battle with cancer
On Thursday, a few weeks after Lexington’s E. J. Hayes Middle School teacher Ashley Randolph died of cancer, she was posthumously given the school’s Vision Award.
The vision is to be a school where everybody belongs, Hayes Principal Dave Hoskins told the Herald-Leader on Friday.
Randolph, 41, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Hayes and a department chairman, died May 2 after battling cancer for five years.
“Ashley was a special person, whose brave battle the past five years should be a lesson to everyone,” said Hoskins. “Ashley never stopped living. She never complained, even when she had a right to.”
“Even in her last week, she never made her situation about her; she talked about how unfair it was for her mother and daughter, not how unfair it was to her,” Hoskins said. “Awarding Ashley the Vision Award, which is given to the staff member who exemplifies our mission and vision, was an easy choice.”
“She will be missed terribly at Hayes, but if everyone would live life by her example, her legacy will live on,” Hoskins said.
Randolph’s daughter Peyton, a Hayes student, and Randolph’s mother, Lula, accepted the award on her behalf, Hoskins said.
Randolph inspired people at the school with “her strong work ethic, adventurous spirit and love and devotion to her daughter,” a school Facebook post said Thursday
Randolph formerly taught at Lexington’s Morton Middle School, according to her obituary.
In 2022, Randolph posted on Facebook about battling cancer and continuing to teach.
“A surgery, echo, chemo and the start of school all in under the span of 5 days is a lot and I think my body is rebelling,” she said. “Hopefully this week I will be able to eat some more to keep up my energy. “
“To all of you that have messaged me, stopped by my classroom just to make sure I am OK, helping with simple tasks ... and just praying for me, thank you, it really means so much,” she said.
