Nakenya Claiborne and Steve Harvey, with LHJH kids in the background. Photo courtesy of the Steve Harvey Show.

Nakenya Claiborne and Steve Harvey, with LHJH kids in the background. Photo courtesy of the Steve Harvey Show.

When you turn on the Steve Harvey Show Tuesday, don’t be surprised to see some familiar faces from Lake Highlands. Popular LHJH teacher Nakenya Claiborne and ten of her current and former students will be featured in a touching, funny, matchmaking segment, likely to be one of Harvey’s most memorable yet.

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Miss Claiborne has it all, it seems. She loves her job teaching 8th grade English and sponsoring outstanding students in the National Junior Honor Society. LHJH kids adore her and parents praise her. She’s intelligent and beautiful. There’s just one thing missing. Miss Claiborne is looking for love.

Miss Claiborne’s mom wrote to Harvey, hoping he’d choose her a mate on one of his matchmaking shows, but Harvey had a better idea. He flew in ten of her students – all expenses paid – and put them up in a fancy Chicago hotel. When Miss Claiborne arrived, she knew there’d be several bachelors to choose from, she just didn’t know her students would be the ones making the choice for her.

“She was overwhelmed and began to cry when she saw us,” said Mollie Spearman, currently a ninth grader. “She was very excited and appreciative of the students wanting to help her find love.”

“Miss Claiborne is very special to us,” continued Mollie. “She is very down-to-earth and is always willing to help any of her students. She gives lots of time to the school and we wanted to do something for her.”

“I was beyond surprised to see my students there,” Miss Claiborne told me. “These children are such a huge part of my life. For Steve Harvey to notice this and bring them on was such an awesome thing. I’m so grateful. The feeling I got when I heard why my students said I deserve this is indescribable. It truly shows how compassionate and caring these kids are.”

“The students had prepared questions beforehand and asked each of the bachelors a couple of questions,” said Courtney Gonzales, Mollie’s mom, who went to Chicago with her. “From where I was standing I couldn’t see the audience, but I could hear the clapping and laughing when the kids or Mr. Harvey said something funny. They seemed to enjoy the segment and they clapped for the kids at their final date selection.”

“Mr. Harvey is very nice and genuine,” said Mollie. “He talks to you as if he has known you forever. He’s taller than I thought he would be and his mustache is bigger than it looks on TV. The opportunity to be on a TV show was definitely the highlight of the trip. We were treated like celebrities at the show, even getting to go through hair and makeup. One of the boys on the trip even had to get shoes from the wardrobe department. This was the trip of a lifetime and I know I will never forget it.”

Mollie, Courtney and Courtney’s mom stayed on in Chicago a few days for some sightseeing after the taping.

“We went sightseeing and saw Wrigley Field and Willis Tower, which houses the Skydeck where you can step out at 103 stories and see all of Chicago,” said Mollie. “We shopped along the Magnificent Mile, stopping at the Hershey Company, a 9-story Macy’s and Dylan’s Candy Bar. We visited the Navy Pier, Millennium Park and ate our way through the city.”

And did they choose the right guy for Miss Claiborne?

(Spoiler alert.)

“Yes,” said Mollie. “I think we did. He is also a teacher and understands the day-to-day life of a teacher.”

“Out of the bachelors, I do believe they made the right choice for me.”

You can watch Miss Claiborne on the Steve Harvey Show Tuesday, January 20th at 2 p.m. on NBC Channel 5. Besides Mollie, her matchmakers are Blake Brown, Cole McLendon, Tucker Thomas, Jaycob Thomson, Hannah Patterson, Skye Wofford, Allison Winkler, Bernadette Marin and Cassidy Cocke.

Miss Claiborne's matchmakers. Photo courtesy of the Steve Harvey Show.

Miss Claiborne’s matchmakers. Photo courtesy of the Steve Harvey Show.