By Nancy Edwards
Students and staff at Cumberland Road Elementary recently celebrated with teacher Meg Strnat for being named one of Hamilton Southeastern School District’s Top 10 Teachers of the Year. Students created a “top 10” list for why she should be named Teacher of the Year. At a recent convocation held in Strnat’s honor, 10 of her fourth-grade students wrote a list detailing what they appreciated about their teacher’s efforts in maintaining a classroom full of fun and learning:
10) Lily Miller, 9, “I like making jewelry and a purse out of clay.”
9) Vera Schafer, 9, “I like looking at the different shapes and sizes of train wheels.”
8) Levi Shafer, 9, “I like “Squiddy Day.” You dissect a squid.
7) Amy Nguyen, 9, “She gives us Pringles and a package with materials like cotton balls and popsicle sticks, and we press it all together in one and seal the tape and mail it off. If the Pringle holds its shape, we get points for that.”
6) Dylan Noble, 9, “I love engineer activities with Twinkies.”
5) Derek May, 10, “I’m looking forward to weekend science and engineering trips.”
4) Leslie Preston, 10, “I can’t wait for videos, CDs and computer-generated activities to learn and help us record and look forward to watching a technical engine.”
3) Riley Stuber, 9, “We do a lot of team projects like engineering and math; we’ve done a lot of fun problems.”
2) Sam Diego, 9, “I like engineering design, creating and discovering, and doing things in a fun way.”
1) Nolan Satterfield, 9, “I like the Roadrunners mascot that our teacher pretends to be.”
“I try to make the activities engaging and active and something they can do in real life,” said Strnat of her creative abilities to get her students excited about otherwise boring projects.
“It’s a lot of fun and the students take responsibility for a lot of their work. The work is directed by what the students want and I make sure I meet all standards.”
Cumberland Road Principal Lisa Lederach credits Strnat’s work with being a “mover and a shaker” in the classroom.
“She does so much based on the kids’ wants,” Lederach said. “She’s a very big nudge for ideas for teachers and us, whether through engineering and/or working with small groups.”
