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Celebrating Outstanding Educators: Christie Meadows Wins Above And Beyond Award From WVPB

Christie Meadows, a fifth grade teacher at Glenwood School, Mercer County has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for May, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Meadows was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Specialist Autumn Meadows. Christie Meadows received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Meadows has been a full-time teacher for 20 years and an educator for 26. She knew since she was a child playing school at home that she wanted to be a teacher. Her dedication to the profession and her students shows both in the classroom and in the community.

In the classroom, Meadows makes an effort to involve parents. Throughout the year she will bring them into the classroom to do things like crafts and in the past, she would do a career day for parents to volunteer to come in and present. Meadows said it’s important to include parents so that they can see what their child is experiencing at school and for the students to see their parents involved.

Meadows also goes above and beyond with classroom projects that engage the students but also reinforce skills taught and learned. Students would complete scavenger hunts, create PowerPoints, and participate in different experiments that involved melting holiday candies. In years past, they also wrote books as a class that were published for the students. This year, they had the opportunity to have pen pals in California and after a yearlong correspondence they got to virtually meet over ZOOM.

Meadows’ dedication reaches outside the classroom by showing the students the impact they can have in their community. They’ve collected and made stockings for local nursing homes, collected food and items for animal shelters, made cards for veterans, and this year they also fixed a meal for Amy’s House of Hope which provides meals to unhoused people in the community.

Meadows also practiced inclusivity by making sure her class did fun activities with students with disabilities not in the general education classrooms, such as bingo, Easter egg hunts, crafts and snacks. She said all these activities are her favorites. Meadows said, “I want them to see that not everyone has what they do and teaches them to put others before themselves. The kids look forward to these activities and truly enjoy helping others. They ask, ‘What else can we do?’”

“I love teaching,” said Meadows, “I love when you see a student who struggles begin to understand a concept. I love when they are willing to do things for others and not just themselves. I love watching students grow not just academically but socially and personally as well.”

Each month, WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher that goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.

As part of the Above and Beyond program, WVPB and the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office will be hosting a Jurassic Jamboree at Marion County Public Library this Saturday, Aug. 5 with free goodies and a meet and greet with Buddy from the PBS KIDS show Dinosaur Train.

Going The Extra Mile: Amy Taylor Receives WVPB’s Above And Beyond Award

Amy Taylor, a Nationally Board Certified English teacher at Midland Trail High School in Fayette County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for April, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Taylor was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley. Taylor received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Taylor not only teaches English, but for the last nine years, has also been a part of the Early Enrollment program that offers students the opportunity to complete several pre-requisite college courses. At Midland Trail High School, she teaches English 101/102 for WVU Tech and Glenville State with an additional 12 sections online at the University of Charleston.

She said, “Between the West Virginia Invests Grant, Grow Your Own, and Early Enrollment programs, West Virginia schools, especially Midland Trail, have built and sustained outstanding opportunities for our students to find a life and career they can be proud of.”

Taylor goes above and beyond in the classroom engaging students with one of her favorite units. She begins the year with an Appalachian unit using two local memoirs that discuss poverty and adversity in West Virginia – facing many challenges and experiences that her students can relate to in their own lives. After reading one of these memoirs, Taylor brings the author to the classroom for face-to-face questions and interactions providing a powerful experience for the students. Taylor said this unit reinforces the importance of resilience.

Not only does Taylor go above and beyond in the classroom, but also in the community. She tutors after school, volunteers to work gates at sporting events, attends students’ events, helps plan and chaperone prom, and mentors teachers.

Taylor’s nominator, Michelle Moirai said, “I’ve never known any human who puts in the hours behind the scenes that this woman does. I honestly have no idea how she does it.”

Taylor said that being an active member in the community and school is important to building rapport with students and families. “Students look for us in the stands and audience just as much as they do their families; we are their family at Midland Trail.”

When Taylor was asked what she loves and enjoys most about teaching, she said hands down that she loves the lasting relationships.

“When my seniors walk across the stage, as they just did recently, I always tell them that our relationship doesn’t end at that moment… I just shift from teacher to mentor,” she said. “Knowing that so many remain in contact, through college and life’s events, shows me that my small part in their story planted a seed that grew into something great.”

Going Above And Beyond: JROTC Instructor Mike Wiley Honored For Excellence And Community Impact

Master Sgt. Mike Wiley, a JROTC instructor at Monroe County Technical Center, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for March, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Wiley was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Specialist Autumn Meadows during an annual flag retiring ceremony, a service-learning project organized by JROTC at the Monroe County Board of Education. This event partnered with the American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans of America and is a prime example of how Wiley is involved in his community.

Wiley received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Flag retiring ceremony.

*Credit: Autumn Meadows/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Cadets during the flag retiring ceremony.

*Credit Autumn Meadows/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Wiley has a vast range of military experience and specialties in his 29 years of service. He joined the West Virginia Army National Guard immediately after graduating high school and retired in 2011. Prior to retiring, Wiley was a recruiter for James Monroe High School and Monroe County Technical Center for nine years. This led to him continuing his work with high school students he was familiar with and building the school’s JROTC program alongside Scott Womack.

As Wiley prepares to retire next year, there are many accomplishments and memories to reflect on, such as the trips the program took, not only in the United States but across the Atlantic. It started as local day trips to places such as Droop Mountain Battlefield, but then the group was invited to march in the D-Day Memorial Parade in St. Mere Eglise, Normandy. This trip was taken twice, the second being the 75^th anniversary of D-Day, with an estimated 500,000 people in attendance. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of these students, many of whom had never left West Virginia or flown in a plane. As far as he knows, they are the only JROTC program in West Virginia to make that trip.

Wiley states, “One of the most memorable events for my cadets occurred during that massive parade, when, as we were rounding one of the final turns in the parade route, with our color guard proudly carrying the United States and the West Virginia flags, the crowd spontaneously erupted into a chorus of ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads.’ The cadets talked about that for months after we came home.”

Not only have the students been to Normandy, but they also led the Parade of Heroes on Veterans Day in Washington D.C., traveled to Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg and Wilmington, North Carolina.

When asked why JROTC is important, Wiley said, “Many people believe JROTC is strictly designed to be an enlistment tool. Nothing is farther from the truth. JROTC is a citizenship and leadership program.”

He said the goals of the program is to prepare students for life after high school, whether it be college, trade school, entering the workforce, or joining the military. Enlistment is not required, nor pushed upon the cadets. They teach the students subjects like history, first aid, leadership, citizenship, geography, land navigation, survival skills, basic financial planning, and life skills. Students who may have started the program quiet or reluctant to interact with others would be standing in the front of the class teaching by their senior year.

Mike Wiley with his family.

*Credit: Autumn Meadows/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Wiley enjoys the impact he has on the lives of his students and being able to give them a place where they get to compete against other schools, take on leadership roles and responsibilities, travel to educational places and experience things that they would not have been able to experience without the program. “I get to create a bond with these students and serve as not only an educator, but as a mentor, counselor and sometimes even as a father figure,” Wiley said.

“When I have a former or current student, or the parents of a student thank me for something that I have done to help that student be successful in life, that just affirms that I am doing what I was intended to do.”

North Jefferson Star Teacher Goes Above And Beyond

Kristi Sanders, a reading and math interventionist at North Jefferson Elementary in Kearneysville, Jefferson County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for February, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

“Teachers are inspirational life coaches who guide students,” said Kristi Sanders, the most recent Above and Beyond winner. “From teaching our students to share and make friends to selecting a career path, teachers are role models and inspire students to learn and grow.”

Sanders, a reading and math interventionist at North Jefferson Elementary in Kearneysville, Jefferson County, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for February, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Sanders was presented the award by West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Education Director Maggie Holley at an all-school assembly organized just for the occasion. Sanders received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurer’s Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Sanders’ passion for teaching is evident in both her nomination and interview. In her 15 years of teaching, she has taught children of many ages and hopes they all become excited and passionate about reading and math. Sanders prepares her students for success by creating a positive culture in the classroom, having high expectations for her students and by modeling the love for learning and service.

When asked how she creates her classroom culture, Sanders recalled one of her favorite quotes, “Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never do it any other way.” She said she believes building positive relationships with both the students and colleagues is the foundation that can help lead to student success. Her lessons are diverse and relevant to the lives of her students and she provides them with the power of “choice” in the classroom.

One of her favorite lessons is a writing project called “Maps of Our Hearts.” Inspired by the picture book, “Maps,” this lesson is modified to all the grade levels, kindergarten to fifth grade. The goal of the lesson is to motivate and engage students to express their ideas through writing and illustration. She reflects on how the lesson allows for conversations between the students that might not typically occur in the classroom and how she learns of the many challenges these students may face at home. The students were provided an outlet while building relationships in the classroom.

“When students enter my classroom, I want them to feel respected and loved so that they can carry these feelings of worth into other aspects of their lives,” Sanders said.

Some of the ways the students show kindness and appreciation is by writing cards to veterans, nursing homes, animal shelters and staff within the school. On student birthdays, all students write a letter to that student and Sanders combines them into a special book for the student to keep. The students connect to the community in these ways and learn social skills such as empathy and that the feeling of helping others can bring happiness for themselves and others.

Sanders shows leadership and service in both her school and county. She serves as the chairperson for the school’s Leadership Committee, leads interventionists in the county during quarterly meetings, is on multiple committees for Jefferson County such as the Universal Screener Committee, WVISS Committee and soon, the Math Intervention Committee.

“I believe that every child deserves a caring and excited adult,” Sanders said. “At the end of the day, it does not matter what role or title we hold as we all are here for our children and students, we should want what is best for them to help then to be successful. In order to ensure the success of our children and students, we must all work together.”

Nicholas County Teacher Goes Above And Beyond

Theresa Dennison, a kindergarten teacher at Panther Creek Elementary, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for January, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Theresa Dennison, a kindergarten teacher at Panther Creek Elementary, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for January 2023, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

Dennison was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley. She received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office sponsors the award, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

Dennison has taught for a total of 27 years. When she was young, she started caring for children early, and when it was time to choose a career path, she knew that teaching was all she wanted to do. Dennison said, “I believe it was a calling, and after all my years teaching, I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

During the pandemic, Dennison was especially dedicated and creative with reaching students not only in her classroom but children all over the county. This was especially beneficial for students who had limited or no internet access.

These lessons consisted of a story and an engaging STEM activity, encouraging students and parents to participate at home. Some examples of these recorded lessons included learning about germs and how they react to soap, Rapunzel and making parachutes from coffee filters, and Jack and the Beanstalk, where the children were shown how to make a zipline and help Jack escape the giant.

The lessons were organized so most students could participate at home with everyday items around the house. These lessons helped keep children engaged in learning at home and were even played throughout the summer.

Dennison truly engages her kindergartners in literacy by having them learn and then perform nursery rhymes. For years, she has included parents in these performances. Even when they could not participate during the COVID-19 pandemic, she innovated and joined the Technology Specialist to use a green screen with the students and videotaped the musicals for all to enjoy at home.

Dennison loves her profession and says witnessing students grow socially and academically in their time together is her favorite part. She appreciates seeing them show kindness to one another and make connections in reading and writing. “Spending my days with young children reminds me to find joy in the simple aspects of life,” says Dennison.

No ‘Treble’ Choosing December’s Above And Beyond Winner

Tim James, a music education teacher at Cabell Midland High School, has earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for December 2022, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.

James was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley and Education Specialist Autumn Meadows, who was a prior student of James. He received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The award is sponsored by the West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.

James’s impact on the community is evident in the numerous nominations received from both parents and students. His colleagues also spoke very highly of James during the surprise presentation.

Lloyd McGuffin, principal of Cabell Midland High, said, “Mr. James is phenomenal both in and out of the classroom, his energy and passion for his craft is infectious. Students are captivated by his vision and work to make it happen. He’s magic! A magic that must be recognized.”

He has many roles at Cabell Midland High including teaching music, theatre, jazz ensemble and band. He is also a student council advisor, and homecoming and prom coordinator.

Tim James holds his Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. *Credit: Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch*

During his 13 years at Cabell Midland, he has directed the marching band to 11 back-to-back wins at the annual West Virginia Marching Band Invitational Championship. He shows creativity in not only his music instruction, but also with his music choices, show choreography, and even props.

“His designs are award winning and his motivation and effort with the kids makes the creative shows come to life,” says one of the nominators.

James is quick to give credit to his students for the successes of the theatre, show choir, jazz, and Marching Knights, and the students show much gratitude to him for his work and influence.

“I have never doubted him having my best interests at heart,” said senior Halen Nibert. “He radiates joy and fun in stressful situations. He pushes us to always do our best. He wants us to be the best versions of ourselves.”

Autumn Meadows, education specialist at WVPB, said that she is extremely grateful for the high expectations, patience, and compassion James had for her when she was his student over a decade ago.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be the one to present this award to Tim James for recognizing excellence in education after the major impact he has made on me as an educator myself as well as so many others.”

Senior Samantha Pay said that everyone needs someone they can look up to and go to for wisdom and advice in troubled times. For her, she said that is James.

“From not only me, but every student that has ever had or been around you, thank you for everything you do for us.”

Each month WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher that goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.