27 Teacher of the Year Application - Community Involvement

ROBOTICS CLUB

In 2022, Clarks Creek Robotics did not have a current staff member to organize and lead it. I recruited my husband, an IT guy by trade, and together we put a lot of time and effort into reinventing the Clarks Creek Robotics Team. We were able to have three successful seasons with teams of 24-26 students each year. The program grew financially and we were able to accommodate many more students than Clarks Creek ever had in the past. We were happy to be able to allow so many students to access the Vex-IQ Robotics program.

KINDNESS CREW

Three years ago, I started the Kindness Crew. My class is the Kindness Crew for our school. I make each student a shirt at the beginning of the year, and we make signs. Every Friday morning, we greet the students at arrival with pompoms, signs, and music on a giant speaker. It helps make the kids want to come to school on Fridays and celebrate a great week. We also deliver treat bags to students who are new to Clarks Creek. Those bags contain a pencil and eraser with encouraging messages, a handmade bookmark from one of my students, and a Clarks Creek wristband. We do other little things to spread kindness throughout the building during the year.

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I love supporting my kids in and out of the classroom, whether that's attending a sporting event, recital, parade, or graduation open house. I love making sure my kids know I care about them outside of the classroom, too.

We meet the kids at the park over the summer for a play date, so they can see their friends and we can see them over the long break. It's a fun time to play with their friends and catch up on how they're doing since school ended.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS/COMMUNITY GUESTS

We love to give the kids the opportunity to learn about things outside of the classroom while still being at school. We participate In many virtual field trips with the State Fairgrounds and a virtual rock presentation with IMI. We also bring community members Into our school to teach the kids about things going on around them.

I worked with the Town of Plainfield over the last few years to create the Youth Citizens Academy field trip. We visit Fire Station 122 and get to tour the station. Police officers and 911 dispatchers come to the station, so the students can hear from all of them. Then we travel to the Civic Center and have a mock town council meeting. They give the students a topic and they get to debate over the idea. They choose a few students to sit on the council and vote. We have lunch at Swinford Park before heading to the DPW, where we get a tour of the street, water, and wastewater departments.

Grandparents' Nights

Supporting the Legacy Foundation

Each year, we bring in bee scientists from Corteva to support our Project Lead the Way unit on plants and pollinators. The students get to see real-world problems that we work to solve during our unit. After the visit, the students create bee habitats that would support the important pollinators in our community.

Not only do I think it is important to build community within your classroom, but I also think it is imperative to build community within the staff. We are a family at Clarks Creek. We started a book club together, we enjoy spending time together outside of school, and we celebrate each other's special moments.