Teacher of the Year finalists

Robyn Armstrong - Science - Fort Recovery High School

To whom it may concern:

I would like to take this opportunity to submit a nomination for the Commercial Review Teacher of the Year. The person that I would like to nominate is Mrs. Robyn Armstrong. Mrs. Armstrong is currently a science teacher at Fort Recovery High School. For this school year, she is teaching chemistry, physics and AP chemistry as well as serving as our school Math & Science Club advisor. Mrs. Armstrong began her career at Fort Recovery Local Schools in 1989 and is currently finishing up her 34th year in our district. She plans to retire at the conclusion of this school year.

During her career at Fort Recovery, she has taught a variety of science courses to students in grades 9-12. She has also been a major part of the Drama Club and the Math & Science Club for a majority of her time as well. She is an absolute professional in the classroom and is a very detail-oriented teacher that constantly works to improve her craft despite her many years of experience. The following points are some additional reasons why I decided to nominate her for this award.

•She still has students come back to the high school from the community annually to help her and her current students celebrate Pi and Mole Days during the year.

•FRHS has named an entire hallway after her! Imagine the level of respect that it takes to get an entire hallway in a high school named after you! The “Armstrong Tunnel” connects the sophomore hallway/science wing to the main office area.

•Each year, Mercer County hosts the Franklin B. Walter banquet which allows each county school to nominate a student to compete for a scholarship. Part of that process allows the student to select a “teacher of influence” and invite them to the banquet each year. Mrs. Armstrong has been selected a whopping 10 times for this position since 2003! In comparison, the next closest staff member has been nominated twice. A ringing endorsement for her as a person and teacher!

In conclusion, the real reason I have decided to nominate Mrs. Armstrong is not necessarily due to her success in the classroom or as a teacher. It is simply because she is a great person. In my years of education, I don’t know if I’ve ever met a more caring, dedicated, and empathetic individual than her.

That is what truly stands out and I believe the students recognize that as well and it is a true testament to her character and, in my opinion, has helped fuel her successful career over the last 34 years. I mean this with the utmost sincerity and respect toward the Commercial Review but it would be an absolute injustice if she did not receive this recognition.

Respectfully submitted,

Tony Stahl

Fort Recovery High School principal



Eric Myers - Social studies - Jay County Junior Senior High School

When I saw that The Commercial Review was holding a Teacher of the Year competition, one teacher immediately came to mind, and that was Mr. Eric Myers.

For several reasons, I truly believe that no teacher is more deserving of this award than he is.

I had Mr. Myers for geography in seventh grade, and out of all of the teachers that I have had in the 12 years that I have been in school, there has never been a teacher that has had quite the impact on me that he has. While this may sound cliche, he introduced a love for history and geography in me that is still here to this day and has instilled a calling in me to possibly become a geography teacher one day.

Mr. Myers is also not only an exemplary teacher, but a leader in general. When you are in his classroom, you can tell how passionate he is about what he does. Day in and day out, he gives his students his all, which is one of the simplest yet most important things that a teacher can and should do. He exceeds the requirement of this every day.

However, his students are not the only group of kids whose lives he is changing. As the head coach of the Jay County High School wrestling team, he has successfully built one of the top-tier wrestling programs in the state by leading with the same passion, drive and character that he does in the classroom.

With the junior high and high school being in the same building now, I still see him almost every day, and he smiles and talks to me every time I see him without fail.

Now and then, we will even have a long conversation. One of these conversations that I especially remember took place a few months ago when I told him I was interested in possibly student volunteering for him next year. When I mentioned this to him, he immediately told me he would love to have me.

This is just one of many distinct examples that shows what an exceptional human being he is. He has always truly gone above and beyond when it comes to showing kindness to not only me but other students, and I believe that shows he is not only a good teacher, but a caring person at heart.

While I can only speak for myself when it comes to the significance Mr. Myers has had in my life, I am confident that other students would say the same about him. He is a very kind, passionate and caring teacher and coach that affects his students’, wrestlers’ and many others’ lives each and every day.

For all of these reasons, I firmly believe that there is no better option for Teacher of the Year than Mr. Eric Myers.

Hannah Laux

Senior

Jay County High School



Stacy Campbell - Kindergarten - Redkey Elementary School

To whom it may concern,

My name is Molly Ault. I am a student teacher with my amazing mentor teacher, Stacy Campbell at Redkey Elementary.

Stacy is a kindergarten teacher and has been for more than 30 years.

Stacy is the most selfless person I have ever met. Every day when she comes into the classroom, she gives her all and cares for each of the students like they are her own. She cares for each of her coworkers like they are also her family. She is constantly taking the time to help other teachers with students, cover classes, handle issues and so much more that she does behind the scenes that often goes unnoticed. She is on teacher mode 24/7.

There have been many nights I have received text messages at 10 p.m. from her asking about different ideas to bring into the classroom. She cares so deeply about her profession and the families she gets to work with.

Within the classroom, she spends her own personal money to supply her students with tools and resources she thinks would be helpful in improving their learning.

Since I have been in the classroom sharing roles with her, I have learned who I want to be as a teacher. I could only hope that I am half as great of a teacher as Mrs. Campbell someday.

Thank you for your consideration,

Molly Ault

Student teacher

Redkey Elementary School



My nomination for Teacher of the Year is Stacy Campbell, kindergarten teacher at Redkey Elementary School.

I have known Stacy for many years and I just have a hard time putting into words what a great teacher she is.

I have had the pleasure of working with her the past two years. She is such a devoted teacher and loves her job. She is giving her job more than 100% a day.

She is constantly researching new ideas to make learning fun. I believe her mind never shuts off teacher mode.

She is always using her personal funds to enrich the students’ learning and make kindergarten an overall fun learning environment.

I have worked in the school corporation for over 25 years and I believe you will not find another teacher more deserving of this award.

Thank you,

Julie Barlow

Instructional assistant

Jay School Corporation



Abby Scheidt - Third grade - Fort Recovery Elementary School

Dear Commercial Review,

I am nominating Abby Scheidt for the Teacher of the Year award.

Mrs. Scheidt is a third grade teacher at Fort Recovery Elementary School.

I recently moved back to Fort Recovery after living and teaching in Columbus, Ohio, for the past 10 years. Having been in another district for so long, I knew it would probably take awhile to feel “at home” in a new school even though I am originally from the Mercer County area.

As an intervention specialist, my job often involves me co-teaching in other teachers’ classrooms, and I was lucky enough to be paired with Abby this year during her language arts class! She welcomed me into her classroom, and over the course of just this year, we’ve built a strong teaching relationship centered around our students.

Mrs. Scheidt always keeps what is best for kids at the forefront of her teaching. When I brought up some ideas for how to restructure her classroom at the beginning of the year to make the most use out of both of our talents, she was open to this change. She has met each of my suggestions this year with an open mind and always makes sure that any change she makes is what is best for our shared students.

Students in Mrs. Scheidt’s classroom adore her, and they often make this known when she receives signs/posters from them that read something like, “Mrs. Scheidt is the best teacher ever!”

She prioritizes relationships with her students when she starts her week with a class meeting. This is when she discusses what is happening throughout the week, and it is also when she hands out rewards or incentives to her students for various good behaviors.

Mrs. Scheidt is also a leader in our school. She’s taken on the role of third grade teacher chair, which means she helps to organize and lead her team of teachers. She is also a leader for all the district’s teachers as she holds a leadership role for the teachers’ union.

Mrs. Scheidt works to advocate for anyone with whom she is involved — students or teachers. She is an asset to the Fort Recovery Elementary staff, and she should be proud of her ability to welcome teachers and students into her space and make them feel like they are “at home” with her.

Heather Addington

Intervention specialist

Fort Recovery Elementary/Middle School



Bill Saxman - Fourth grade - East Jay Elementary School

My name is Aubrie Weitzel and I nominate Mr. Bill Saxman.

The school he teaches at is East Jay Elementary and he teaches fourth grade. The subjects he teaches are science, math, and social studies.

The reason I nominate him is because he is a great teacher. He taught me how to do things that are above my level. He is funny, hard working, and has the best class. He taught me things that I never imagined I would learn in fourth grade.

Another amazing thing about him is that he is very encouraging. He always said he just wants us to do our best and give the best effort we can give. He always made it fun to learn. Whenever there was something we thought was boring he would make it fun. He also always made sure that he was the best teacher he could be and he would always make sure that his class was fun.

Mr. Bill Saxman is an amazing teacher and I hope that I persuaded you to make him teacher of the year because he deserves it. He put so much hard work into us.

This is why I nominate Mr. Bill Saxman.

Thank you,

Aubrie Weitzel

Fifth grader at East Jay Elementary School

Nominations for Teacher of the Year winner Lisa Wood - Science - Jay County Junior-Senior High School

I, Chloe Cook, nominate Mrs. Lisa Wood.

She teaches ninth through 12th grade at Jay County High School.

I chose her because she’s my favorite teacher. She’s a good person and always helps people the best she can.

If someone asks a question she doesn’t know, she always tries her best to answer it and doesn’t turn the question down.

I like that she visually explains things. It helps me learn better. She’s never in a bad mood; if she is, she never lets it out on students.

That’s something I admire about her because many teachers do.

In all of her lessons, she always makes it fun somehow.

Overall, I think she’s the best teacher I’ve ever had, and I appreciate her a lot.

I’m glad I chose to take her class.

Chloe Cook

Freshman

Jay County High School



Hello, my name is Kaylin Hudson.

I am a freshman at Jay County Junior-Senior High, and I would like to nominate Lisa Wood, for teacher of the year.

Mrs. Wood teaches biomedical science at Jay County Junior-Senior High. She’s a marvelous woman and an even better teacher!

She’s patient, kind and always makes you feel like you’re one of her kids yourself.

She’s also very truthful. She’ll tell you how it is, and that’s just how life’s going to be.

“Life isn’t always fair guys, just try to make the most of what you can.” She always tries her absolute best for us and it shows.

I know Mrs. Wood is the best candidate because her actions have proven it to every one of her students. Her class can be as tough as nails, but through it all she will be right there to help you in any way she can. She gives you a space you need to learn and prosper.

Unfortunately, this will be her last year teaching, as she’s retiring. She has served our school for 20 years. I don’t know if words could even describe how beautiful her soul is.

Lisa Wood is a dedicated teacher, and an inspiring woman to look up to.

This past year with her I’ve not only learned what I’m in the class to learn, but in some crazy way she has taught me a lot about myself as well. Every soul she touches, she leaves a huge impression on — in the best way of course!

Mrs. Wood has an impressive history, with not only an education degree but also a degree in nursing. She was a nurse for many years, but she gave it up to enrich young adults. Through every hardship being a teacher has thrown at her, she always comes to school and shows us the best version of herself she can be.

With all that being said, that is why I nominate Lisa Wood, for teacher of the year. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than her.

You can ask any one of her students, whether that be first, second, third, or fourth year, we will all tell you the same thing; Lisa Wood is a phenomenal teacher and a brilliant woman.

I hope you can find, just as I have, how wonderful and worthy Lisa Wood is to be nominated.

Kaylin Hudson

Freshman

Jay County High School