Burton Elementary School sixth-grade science and social studies teacher, Amy Hochschild, was recently selected Teacher of the Year for Excellence in Soil and Water Education by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (OFSWCD).
OFSWCD Teacher of the Year
Burton Elementary School sixth-grade science and social studies teacher, Amy Hochschild, was recently selected Teacher of the Year for Excellence in Soil and Water Education by the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (OFSWCD). The Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District nominated her for this outstanding effort in conservation education.
Mrs. Hochschild will be honored at the Conservation Awards Luncheon at the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Annual Meeting on Feb. 26 at the Columbus Renaissance Downtown Hotel.
Over her 28 years of service in the Berkshire Local Schools, Mrs. Hochschild has demonstrated exemplary efforts and dedication to conservation education. She was nominated by the Geauga Soil Water Conservation District after being named Teacher of the Year in the county earlier this school year.
Mrs. Hochschild is extremely supportive of her students and routinely engages with them for various creative, fun and instructional experiences, projects and activities. In doing so, she considers herself still learning and taking risks as an educator for the educational benefit of her students. Some of those included her creation of a land lab at the former Claridon Elementary School, coordinating Burton Elementary School’s sixth-grade camp, serving as the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) Club advisor at the school with more than 50 participants, in addition to being the Science Olympiad advisor, as well. To further align with the district’s commitment to project based learning, Mrs. Hochschild has even developed a hands-on soil unit, where students will work with local farmers and community members to improve soil quality in the area.
AD Earns Certification
Brian Hiscox, director of athletics at Berkshire Jr./Sr. High School, has been recognized by The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) as a certified athletic administrator. To earn this distinction, Brian has demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration.
The voluntary certification process included a thorough evaluation of the candidate’s educational background, experience and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination. With this designation, Brian elevates himself into an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide who demonstrate a high level of professionalism.
The NIAAA is a national professional organization consisting of all 50 state athletic administrator associations and more than 10,000 individual members. It is dedicated to promoting the professional growth of high school athletic administrators and preserving the educational nature of interscholastic athletics and the place of these programs in the secondary school curriculum. On behalf of the Berkshire Local Schools, congratulations to Brian Hiscox for earning this recognition on your path to continual professional development.
Small Group, Co-Teaching Model of Learning Experiencing Success at Ledgemont
Elementary students at Ledgemont are taking deliberate advantage of a co-teaching model of education, where smaller groups, teamwork and collaboration prevail, all in order to help students feel comfortable sharing ideas, listening to others and achieving greatness. In a class where approximately 16 students participate, desks are positioned so that students can discuss topics in groups, following prompts or topics supplied by the classroom instructor. Once presented, students are encouraged to further breakdown topics using their own respective mixed abilities, collaborating, sharing thoughts and working together on project-based assignments. After intensive discussion sessions, students will take brain breaks and then sit in other areas of the classroom to obtain differing interaction experiences with their classmates.
In all, this model of teaching and instruction is furthering the school-wide motto at Ledgemont, which is: “We show positivity. We show respect. We have integrity. We are driven. We show empathy. Badger Pride is Building Wide.”
Standards are very high in the Berkshire Local Schools, particularly at the very youngest grades. Congratulations to Ms. Weema and Ms. Sherman for taking a creative and dynamic approach to their learning environments.
