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| School district recognizes Teachers of the Year |
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| Education | |||
| Written by Jesse Trimble | |||
| Wednesday, 10 March 2010 09:00 | |||
Tears streamed down third grade teacher Sarah Lohse’s face last week, after USD 416 Superintendent Sharon Zoellner and a team of the school district’s staff surprised her in the middle of class and recognized her as the district’s elementary Kansas Teacher of the Year nominee.  Jackie Tappan was nominated for the secondary education category. Lohse, who happened to be wearing a paper hat that resembled the Cat in the Hat’s from the Dr. Seuss book, burst into tears as she accepted flowers in front of her third-grade students. Zoellner announced that the students of the nominated teacher would also be treated — with cookies. “Cookies!” several shouted in unison. “She should be teacher of the century,” one remarked. Lohse said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher and that she’s always been a teacher at heart. “It’s what I’ve always had a passion for,” she said, “since I was a little girl. I used to pretend to teach little stuffed animals.” She added that she was both honored and shocked to receive the recognition.  “It’s fun to watch them grasp a concept and watch their little light bulbs click,” she said of her third-graders. Lohse has been a teacher with USD 416 for seven years. For six years she’s taught third grade and her first year she taught fifth-graders. Broadmoor Elementary Principal Chris McLean said it’s Lohse’s dedication to her students and her compassion for teaching that made her a top choice. “I think people come to work here, that want to work in Louisburg,” McLean said, “because they know they’re going to work with other dedicated educators and members of the community — that’s why I came here.” Tappan, a seventh grade literature teacher at Louisburg Middle School, was also nominated and heard the news from Zoellner. Tappan also got a surprise visit from her children, who presented her with flowers. “I am so surprised, humbled and honored by this nomination,” she wrote. “There are so many outstanding teachers in the Louisburg district and I feel honored to be nominated by them.” Tappan has been teaching for 14 years total, four of which have been with the Louisburg district. She attributed her inspiration to become a teacher to her great-aunt Marie, who taught in McPherson for years as a reading teacher and continued to teach into her 80s out of her home as a tutor. “When I think of generations of students that she influenced, it reminds me of the responsibility I have as a teacher to be a positive influence in the lives of my students,” she wrote. LMS Principal Brian Biermann said Tappan’s recognition was overdue. “Jackie is a wonderful teacher. She’s very dedicated,” he said. “She really puts in the time and has many different teaching strategies, I could go on and on about her. It’s past due because she’s a team player and very well respected by her peers. They know she’s deserving of that.” Biermann added that despite Tappan only being with the school for the last four years, her students have achieved 100 percent proficiency on state assessment tests for the last two, which is a hard feat. Zoellner’s pride in the two teachers shone through. “The ability for me to go out and recognize quality educators is something I look forward to every year,” she said. The two teachers will now compete at the regional level for the Teacher of the Year award, and potentially the state award beyond that.
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