Please join us in applauding these local A+ Educators!
Hello Friends,
As you know, MGW, implements a monthly award announcement to highlight teachers and staff members at local schools that go above and beyond in their service to their students and colleagues. The A+ Educators Awards are our way of saying thank you to the teachers and staff making a difference. Each of the current winners will receive a gift certificate to Byers Street Bistro in Staunton to celebrate their greatly valued success!
Elementary School Winner: Jessica Funk
Position: Preschool Teacher
School: Augusta County Public Schools - Riverheads Elementary
Jessica Funk embodies what it means to be inclusive. She believes in all of her students, herself, and her colleagues and that they should belong, be included, be held to high expectations, and be given opportunities. Jessica's respect for every one of her students and how she values their families as partners is just part of what makes her classroom a positive and prosperous place. In addition to supporting students in the classroom, Ms. Funk is always learning. She is a team leader, takes classes, chooses to participate in additional professional development, and supports students outside of the school day by participating in after-school events. She is a ray of sunshine for so many!
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Middle School Winner: Julie Sanger
Position: 6th Grade Teacher
School: Augusta County Public Schools - Beverly Manor Middle
In the past three years, Mrs. Sanger has grown as an
instructional leader. In addition to being a leader in her grade level subject area, she has served as the 6th-grade team leader and our Athletic Coordinator. Her colleagues highly respect her, and she displays professionalism at all times. Her work as Athletic Coordinator for fall and winter sports has helped increase awareness and participation in our program. She goes well above and beyond for our sports teams, working to be a problem solver, thinking quickly, and devising creative solutions for problems. We value her work and attitude; she has the most fantastic laugh and is ALWAYS willing to share a smile! Her resume as an educator is quite impressive, and she still looks forward to growing professionally while doing all she can for her students.
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High School Winner: Kopper Earnst
Position: English Teacher
School: Augusta County Schools - Riverheads Highschool
Ms. Ernst is an outstanding educator whom any parent would want their child to have as a teacher. When you walk into her classroom, you get that feeling and sense that it's student-centered. Ms. Ernst's passion and energy are felt, and her students know that she will challenge them academically while making learning fun. Her ability to connect with students and her willingness to try new instructional strategies have created a learning environment that students enjoy, and that's not easily done in an English 11 class. Ms. Ernst is willing to step outside of her comfort zone and try new instructional strategies to meet the needs of all her students. In 2020, Ms. Ernst was recognized as a National Board Certified Teacher: English (Adolescent & Young Adult), an incredible accomplishment and achievement. Ms. Ernst is a tireless worker within our school and community.
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Winner: Jenn Bartley
Position: 6th Grade Teacher
School: Stuart Hall
Jenn is the 6th-grade teacher at Stuart Hall, but her impact far surpasses just our 6th-grade students. She cares about the world - she's looking for ways to bring the world to STU and practices to make sure her students know about, care about, and want to make a difference in the world.
She has helped many students make connections with the senior residents at The Legacy through the years. She helped bring joy to many of us here at STU and throughout the Staunton community by coordinating our Christmas Lights display for Gypsy Hill Park when we didn't think we could do one more thing. She maintains our Staunton is Our Campus initiative, even during pandemic times, in so many ways, including connecting STU to The Book Dragon in town and working with them to create Stuart Hall's own private Book Fair. She encouraged our entire student body to consider service to others through writing letters to service members and including students from all grade levels in her new service co-curricular, Dragonflies and Dragons. We are fortunate to have Jenn as part of our team!
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Winner: Katie Horst
Position: Educational Technologist
School: Stuart Hall
Katie is our Educational Technologist at Stuart Hall. Katie has been with us for seven years and has helped students and teachers engage with technology in the classroom. She was a key developer of Project Max, a program that brought cutting-edge technology to STU, including Esports, Virtual Reality, and video and sound production. She can be seen in classrooms teaching digital citizenship to our students and helping teachers take their students on journeys far away through the use of virtual reality. Katie has partnered with the administration in the professional development of teachers, the technological organization of curriculum and processes, and as a faithful team member for all things STU.
Congratulations to all of the A+ Educators award winners! We appreciate everything you do to make sure students in our community have the opportunity for an excellent education!
If you have questions about your services, we'd love to talk with you. You can reach us at (540) 712-0200 or email us at getservice@mgwnetworks.com.
