Tech Educator of the Month

Each month, we will be showcasing one teacher or support staff member from the WBSD that has been nominated by their peers as the Tech Educator of the Month.

This award is not for only the tech gurus in and around our district! An Educator of the Month award can be given to someone within your PLC or department that has worked hard on implementing new educational technology resources or consistently goes above in beyond for our students. Or, this person can be someone who is always researching and finding new ways to integrate instructional technology. The choice is yours!

Overall, you write the narrative. Let's give a BIG shout out to our colleagues by nominating them for the Educator of the Month award.

Choice Prize Board for Educators of the Month

If you are nominated and awarded the Educator of the Month, then you'll have an opportunity to select one tech gadget from the choice board above!

Nominate an Educator of the Month

Tech Educator of the Month | May 2023

Congratulations, Joe Heacox!

Yake Elementary School

Joe is the media specialist at Yake Elementary School. Joe is the front line of defense for Yake Elementary when technology is involved. He troubleshoots most issues before the technology team can even get over there. He also helped the technology team evaluate a new software called Impero. Thank you Joe for helping out so much in your building and your extreme interest in technology.

Congratulations, Rebecca Matzo!

Gudith Elementary School

Rebecca is currently a 5th grade teacher at Gudith Elementary and a coach for the WHS Goon Squad Robotics team. This year the robotics team consists of 10 experienced or veteran students (only 6 had mechanical or electrical experience) and 16 rookies. Their first competition was at St. Joseph High School. The bot had some mechanical issues and they didn't give the programming team enough time with the bot to program what it needed. They ended up in 25th place out of 40 teams. Their second competition was one week later at Belleville High School, the mechanical issues were fixed and the programming team had that week to work with the bot. They ended up in 2nd place, giving enough points to qualify for States. That is where they are headed this week. The top 160 teams in Michigan are invited to compete at SVSU from April 6th through April 8th. If they do very well at States, they will be headed to Worlds in Houston, Texas. What an exciting time! Good luck team!!

Congratulations, Brian Taylor!

Woodhaven High School

Brian has been nominated for the Tech Educator for the Month of March. Brian is a business and math teacher and Esports Club coach at Woodhaven High School. The Esports Club started as an after school gaming club a few years ago but has been picking up momentum. This year club members moved to a competitive Esports platform and are actively competing against others schools in Super Smash Bros after school. There is great potential in the future of Esports in the district and it is exciting to see what the rest of this year holds. Congratulations Brian!

Tech Educator of the Month | February 2023

Congratulations, Sara Assenmacher!

Wegienka Elementary

Sara has been nominated for the Tech Educator for the Month of February. Sara is a math interventionist and robotics coach at Wegienka Elementary. She led her team with a few volunteer coaches to the States competition on December 18, 2022 where they placed 3rd in Core Values and were 14th overall for the robot games out of 48 teams. That is an amazing accomplishment!!! Way to lead the way for our youth robotics program and let's see what next year brings. Congratulations Sara!

Tech Educator of the Month | January 2023

Congratulations, Dave Vasher!

WBSD Technology Department

Dave Vasher has been nominated for the Tech Educator for the Month of January. Dave is a nontraditional Educator from the WBSD Technology Department. He led the student lego robotics team after school at Bates Elementary. His work with this group of students enriched their lives and it would not have been possible if he hadn't stepped up.

Thank you Dave for all the hard work you do!

Tech Educator of the Month | December 2022

Congratulations, Justin Biver!

Woodhaven High School

Justin Biver has been nominated for the Tech Educator for the Month of December. Justin coaches the CyberPatriots at Woodhaven High School. CyberPatriots is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air & Space Forces Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future. This year the WHS team is ranked in the platinum division, meaning they scored in the top 30% in the country! They are currently ranked 14th in the state. Next round of competition is December 9th so if you see Justin or his team in the WHS halls- wish them luck!

Tech Educator of the Month | November 2022

Congratulations, Jeff Theobald!

Bates Elementary

Jeff has been nominated for the Tech Educator for the Month of November! Jeff is a teacher at Bates Elementary and helped the technology department resolve the Securly screen sharing issue. Thank you Jeff!

Tech Educator of the Month | May 2021

Congratulations, Amber Cornell!

Brownstown Middle School

"Amber Cornell is a special education teacher at BMS. This year, she is supporting and teaching both face-to-face and remote students. This means that Amber is navigating over 15 google classrooms at a time! She astounds me with her ability to be fully present for each and every one of her students whether through the screen or in the classroom. Amber communicates with teachers who are in the building and at home so she is aware of classroom assignments and needs. She supports students through an open zoom every hour, at the same time students are in her actual classroom requiring assistance.

She handles every day with such grace, patience, and empathy. The reason I feel Amber is Tech Educator of the Month is due to the extreme amount of technology she is handling every single day. She supports students who have many different teachers, therefore she is helping them navigate multiple online classrooms and learning sites. This is on top of teaching her own class with students who are at home and face to face. I feel Amber has a real knack for making her students feel heard, loved, and seen, even though she has never met some of them in person. As a last note, on top of going above and beyond in her responsibilities as a teacher, Amber is always there for her colleagues with a ready listening ear. She is truly a shining light at BMS."

Tech Educator of the Month | April 2021

Congratulations, Jessica Garcia!

Yake Elementary School

"Jessie teaches the 4th-grade virtual section at Yake. She was very nervous and unsure of herself when the year started. Technology was in her words "scary and new." She has taken this challenge on head first. Her virtual classroom is colorful, engaging, and full of hands-on learning. She has learned to make virtual learning fun and normal for the students at home. Jessie has taken this challenge and taught me various ways to bring those fun, virtual lessons into my in-person classroom. I am very proud of how far she has come and I would love for her to be recognized for taking this task on gracefully."

Tech Educator of the Month | March 2021

Congratulations, Jennifer McCollum!

Patrick Henry Middle School

"Jen is always trying new and interesting tech ideas within her classroom. She shares her ideas with other staff members and she often leads PD sessions on different tech resources. She is always willing to help staff members solve technology-related problems."

"Jen McCollum started a Facebook group, Technology Tips and Tricks with Jen back in March when this pandemic started. The group has grown to include 681 educators. She goes over multiple tech and apps that she and other teachers are using, trials and tribulations she and they have faced, checks in with teachers, as well as many other posts."

Tech Educator of the Month | February 2021

Congratulations, Steve Johnson!

Brownstown Middle School

"Steve Johnson is a wonderful Math-a-magician who cares deeply for his students. During this time of uncertainty, he has been in contact with all of his students and parents on a daily basis. He contacts the students by the hour and not just in a general mass email. He has taken the time to learn how to cast his lessons to all of the students at home learning on the asynchronous days. My daughter is in his class and often tells me how his class is one of her favorites to go to. Growing up, I would have never categorized a math teacher as a person I wanted to see on a daily basis. Throughout the last few months, he has been taking time out of his day after school to work with students either in person or virtually so that his students understand the material and are successful in their assessments. I often hear from students in the building how fun and funny he is and how they are always excited to go to his class."

Tech Educator of the Month | January 2021

Congratulations, Rachel Lemon!

Wegienka Elementary

"My daughter is enrolled in Ms. Lemon’s remote 2nd-grade class. While I can see this form is intended to be filled out by other colleagues/teammates, I felt compelled to nominate her for this as a parent! My daughter Avery joined her remote program in mid-October. From day one, my daughter felt welcomed, comfortable, and excited to learn in the new class. As a parent, I was nervous! How can we keep up with the schedule? How will I navigate the site? Will we be able to do this? Within the first few days, those fears were gone! Ms. Lemon has designed her Google Classroom/routines so carefully and thoughtfully, that within a week, my 2nd grader was mostly independent in her school day! From navigating the site, finding and logging into the other learning platforms, to using DoJo to turn in assignments, the transition to remote learning was seamless! Ms. Lemon uses small learning groups in ELA and Math to target what my daughter needs in those areas. Last year, my daughter HATED math! This year, it’s my daughter's favorite subject and she is thriving! She’s able to motivate and excite kids about the learning and provide meaningful online activities to challenge them!! After a recent addition to Kahn Academy, my daughter has so much pride that she is learning 3rd-grade math during her math workshop time! Ms. Lemon’s ability to connect with students, and give feedback, as well as provide opportunities for students to self-evaluate their own work is amazing! My daughter is able to look at that feedback, and use that feedback to reflect on the learning! Ms. Lemon has shown her expertise in using technology to craft a truly inspiring program for the 2nd graders enrolled in her class and should be recognized for the hard work she puts in for her students! Thank you! Go Wildcats!"

Tech Educator of the Month | December 2020

Congratulations, Rachel Gilmore!

Patrick Henry Middle School

"Rachel is a humble, quiet leader in our building, but she truly encompasses what it means to be an educational leader. She is very current in new technology and regularly incorporate it in useful ways in her classroom. For example, she uses the website Newsela to differentiate reading levels of her students various needs. World History has a lot of technical reading and this allows students the best opportunity to fully grasp the content. She also uses technology that is engaging for students both in their responses such as Nearpod lessons, Gimkit, and Quizlet but also by including her Bitmoji and other slide layouts that capture student attention for engagement and building relationship. Rachel is also very helpful in sharing her lessons, resources, and support with other teachers in our building and across the country on her Instagram (check out @hashtagsinhistory_ to see her creative lessons and resources). Rachel has a wonderful balance on using technology appropriately without overwhelming students and helping others do the same."