English Instructor Named Teacher of The Year
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Department of Education has selected a West Lafayette educator the 2015 Teacher of the Year. Kathy Nimmer has been teaching English at Harrison High School for more than 20 years. September 30, 2014
News Release
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz announced that Kathy Nimmer of Tippecanoe School Corporation was named Indiana's 2015 Teacher of the Year in a ceremony at Harrison High School today. Nimmer, a high school English teacher, has been teaching at Harrison for 22 years.
“I am incredibly excited to honor Kathy Nimmer today,” said Ritz. “Through her career, Kathy has been an inspiration to both her students and fellow educators as she has demonstrated how to overcome adversity every day. Inspired by educators that helped her overcome her own loss of sight, she has dedicated her life to helping her own students overcome their own difficulties.”
Nimmer earned her Bachelors in English Education from Trinity Christian College in 1991 and her Masters of Arts in English from Purdue University in 1992. A selection of her career awards are below.
Honors and Awards
-National Board Certified Teacher, 2003, 2013.
-Tippecanoe School Corporation Teacher of the Year, 2014.
-William Henry Harrison High School Teacher of the Year, 2013/14.
-TED Talk Presenter at TEDxPurdue, 2014
-Lafayette Optimist Club Teacher Grant Winner, 2013.
-NBC “Student Success” Video Contest Winner, 2013.
-Ann DeCamp Creative Teaching Award, 2011.
-Alumni of the Year, Trinity Christian College, 2010.
-Durward K. McDaniels Ambassador Award, American Council for the Blind, 2009.
-Lilly Distinguished Fellow, 2009.
-Helen Keller Foundation International Memoir Competition, First Place, 2006.
-Olympic Torch Bearer, 1996.
About the Indiana Teacher of the Year Program
The Indiana Teacher of the Year (INTOY) program began in 1957 and continues as the oldest, most prestigious state honors program that focuses public attention on excellence in teaching. The Indiana Teacher of the Year award recognizes and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Its mission is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance, and the teaching profession.
The Indiana Teacher of the Year is chosen from among the current Indiana District Teachers of the Year who complete and submit an Indiana Teacher of the Year Portfolio to the Indiana Department of Education's Teacher of the Year Coordinator. A selection committee comprised of past Teachers of the Year reviews and ranks each portfolio following the rubric and portfolio guidelines. The selection committee determines the top ten candidates based on this evaluation system. The selection committee then conducts interviews with the finalists and conducts classroom observations with the top three candidates.
More information can be found at doe.in.gov/TOY.
Source: The Indiana Department of Education