Welcome to our Indiana County Teacher of the Month page!
Indiana County schools are blessed with many great teachers! Here is your chance to honor one, powered by Allied Milk Producers!
Fill out the form below and hit submit. We’ll pick a new teacher each month and post their photo with your reason for nominating them! Nominate an Indiana County Teacher of the Month TODAY! See our Teachers of the Month below the form! Here are our Teachers of the Month: Kristy Hopper, Pre K, McCreery Elementary (Marion Center); Courtney Scherf, High School/Art and Photography, Blairsville High School; Lori Dadson, Senior High Life Skills, Indiana Senior High School; Heidi Allison, Indiana County Technology Center; Caroline Curran, Saltsburg High School; Chris Carpenter, Penns Manor Elementary; Katie Lakatosh, Kindergarten, Ben Franklin Elementary; Diane Antonacci, Blairsville elementary; Wendy Jasper, Blairsville High School; Heidi Martel, East Pike Elementary.
Thank you for nominating an Indiana County Teacher of the Month. Visit AlliedMilkProducers.com!
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| Indiana County Teachers of the Month | ||
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Heidi Martel East Pike Elementary School (November 2018) |
Mrs. Martel consistently goes above and beyond to ensure her students are exactly on point with their learning. She engages them with games and learning techniques that keep their attention and make them want to learn. My daughter was lucky enough to have Mrs. Martel last year for 2nd grade and every parent teacher conference felt like coffee with a friend. She made sure to address all important areas but has such a huge heart for her students, a genuine love like a family. Mrs. Martel most certainly deserves to be an Indiana County Teacher of the Month. ~ Jessica Shields |
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Wendy Jasper Blairsville High School (October 2018) |
It is with great pleasure to recommend my teacher, Mrs. Wendy Jasper, to receive the Indiana County Teacher of the Month Award. Mrs. Jasper has been teaching Physics and College in High School Physics at Blairsville High School for the past 16 years, and I have been fortunate enough to have known her for the past two years. In that time, I have begun to know her not only as a teacher, but as a person as well. When you have a teacher for multiple years in a row, you get to know their teaching style and personality. Mrs. Jasper is an amazing teacher, whose passion for teaching is evident in the way she makes learning a fun and positive experience. However, the passion she has for teaching can only be expressed through her own words. Mrs. Jasper stated, “What I love most about my job is that I get to take students, who are often highly intimidated by physics, and show them they are more than capable of not only understanding physics, but of also enjoying it along the way!” Mrs. Jasper has a way of teaching physics that gets everyone in the classroom involved. She incorporates videos and live demonstrations that spark the interests of every student she has the pleasure of teaching. While Mrs. Jasper likes to have fun and keep the interest of students, she is very serious about her teachings. Before moving onto the next topic, she will go out of her way to ensure that each student has fully grasped the basic building blocks for each section. Even though physics is a very tough subject to teach, Mrs. Jasper keeps her class very structured, making it easy to comprehend and learn the lessons being taught. Mrs. Jasper demonstrates a great depth of knowledge and understanding in the field of science. She is very frequently spoken highly of by her colleagues. Mrs. Jasper takes time to learn an individual student’s personality, and, by doing so, is able to find out what each student brings to the table. She uses the individual student’s strengths to help them overcome their struggles, and develop a positive outlook towards their success – both inside and outside of the classroom. Many students love and respect her because she is kind, loving, fun, and lets students know she cares about them. An important aspect to a teacher is one who interacts with students in a way best fitted to their personal needs, and that is exactly what Mrs. Jasper does. As long as you are willing to seek help and perform your best, she will go over key topics and countless sample problems until the information is drilled into your brain. To me, Mrs. Jasper is a highly intelligent, loving, and respected teacher. I always tell my friends that if Mrs. Jasper were to teach another conceptual and critical thinking class, I would have high success in it solely because of the way she delivers the information. Mrs. Jasper is very passionate in her teaching, and it is very evident in her students’ performances on tests. When asked about the impact teaching has had on her life, Mrs. Jasper said, “The teaching profession has taught me many things that have shaped me into the person I am today. Above all else, I have learned that striving to see the potential in others and that being intentional about making others feel valued is the greatest catalyst for growth and success, be it mine or another’s.” I believe every teacher with the qualities Mrs. Jasper has needs recognized on a daily basis. After all, it is the teachers in our lives who we see for seven hours of the day, and it is those special teachers, like Mrs. Jasper, who have a huge influence in our success in the future. ~ Nicole Bush |
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Diane Antonacci Blairsville elementary – Fifth grade (Sept. 2018) |
She is great teacher dedicated and faithful to her students’ education. ~ Dale Shank |
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Katie Lakatosh Ben Franklin Elementary Kindergarten (Aug. 2018) |
Katie is so caring and understanding with all of the kids in her class. She makes each and every one of them feel special! She works with each child on their level and is great at communicating with the parents. You know you have a good teacher when that’s all your child talks about on the weekends. 🙂 ~ Holly Gonos |
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Chris Carpenter Penns Manor Elementary (July 2018) |
I am honored to have had her as a teacher! She is so kind and cares very deeply about her students! She will go out of her way to see that her students have everything they need to thrive. She provides activities for individual students to cater to each individual interest. I will be moving to the high school next year and will miss her. She will touch many more students coming to her in future years. Thank you so much Mrs. Carpenter! You are the best!!!!❤ ~ Bree Carnahan |
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Caroline Curran Saltsburg High School (June 2018) |
Caroline has taught many years with Saltsburg. She was laid off at one point and went back. She gives the kids tough LOVE. She truly enjoys being a teacher. She offered her home to me multiple times because I lived a troubled life. She doesn’t get much recognition because she’s not an actual teacher but she is much much more than a teaching aide. She listens to kids and their troubles. She is the reason I got out of an unfit home. I love her as much as I love my own mother. In my book, she’s the best teacher to ever step foot into that school. |
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Heidi Allison Indiana County Technology Center (May 2018) |
An amazing teacher who demonstrates genuine compassion for her students. Please view the inspirational video produced by our students, honoring Mrs. Allison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqAKuE-C_I ~ Melaney Brubaker |
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Lori Dadson Senior High Life Skills, Indiana Senior High School (April 2018) |
We would like to nominate an exceptional teacher, Mrs. Lori Dadson, who teaches the Life Skills students at Indiana Senior High School. She is a dedicated teacher who rises FAR above what is expected for a teacher. She goes that extra mile to enrich her students with knowledge and experiences. She teaches her students academics and living skills, so they then become successful in their life after school. Some examples of her extraordinary work are taking the kids Christmas shopping at the Westmoreland Mall to shop for family gifts, (some of her students have never traveled outside of Indiana County) planning and hosting Prom for neighboring districts in 2017 and 2018, arranging monthly CBI trips every month whether it is something educational or fun with an educational twist. She has also set up job sites for every student in the classroom within the community. She does all of this with patience, a kind word, compassion and humor. Her love for her students and job are truly exceptional. She is supportive to her students and their families. She sets high but achievable goals for each student to reach so they can be successful. She has a keen sense of what her students need and is a true advocate for them. Thus, it is an honor to nominate an excellent, caring, and loving teacher. ~ Kayla Mumau |
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Courtney Scherf High School/Art and Photography, Blairsville High School (March 2018) |
Mrs. Scherf is an absolutely AMAZING teacher. She is loved and respected by all the students at Blairsville High School. Her classroom is a place of peace, comfort and creativity. She never shoves ideas at students, but allows her students to create something unique and original and she offers us such amazing support throughout the process. She always has a smile on her face and her energy is positive and consistent. Mrs. Scherf is also National Honor Society Advisor. I can’t think of a better way to recognize her relentless efforts to enrich and make a difference in her students lives than nominating her as a “Teacher Of The Month”. ~ Hanna Alamo |
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Kristy Hopper Pre K, McCreery Elementary (Marion Center) (February 2018) |
Kristy has a heart of gold. Her desire to make every child feel important and do what she can above and beyond to make sure they succeed. Her work continues after hours for both students and families. The hours in a day may be only few but her desire to fulfill the lives of her students and families are endless. The attention given to her students especially those with disabilities and struggle to learn are endless. She is coordinator of programs offered to provide family resources within our community. Her students are never forgotten when they move on. She often seeks them out to see how they are doing. She attends after school activities that her students are involved in to show her support both in school and out. Please consider this well deserving teacher this award. ~ Gina Brandon |
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