Behind every great student is a great teacher. These teachers make learning fun by thinking outside the box and creating classroom experiences that resonate with their students. They serve many roles in their schools, as spelling coaches, school bee coordinators and judges; more often than not, they are motivators who encourage their students to be the best they can be. In the “Teacher Feature,” we celebrate these educators and their commitment to their students' education.
During the fall semester we brought you stories of teachers who were heavily involved in a variety of school activities, supporting academics, athletics and extracurriculars alike. This week's featured teacher certainly fits this category of overachieving educators. Mrs. Loretta Riley is a fifth grade science and social studies teacher at Orrville Middle School in Orrville, Ohio. She was nominated by the school's assistant principal, Ms. Michelle DeAngelis, who described Mrs. Riley as "an active member of the staff" who wears many hats.
According to Ms. DeAngelis, academics are very important to Mrs. Riley, as shown by the length and breadth of her teaching career. She taught gifted for twenty-two years, seventh grade social studies for two years, and now teaches fifth grade students. Although science and social studies are her main subjects this year, Mrs. Riley also teaches an enrichment period each day during which she emphasizes cross curriculum using all of the subject areas. Even outside of the classroom, Mrs. Riley emphasizes the importance of academics. She coaches both the Science Olympiad and Academic Challenge teams at Orrville Middle School, which requires a time commitment including before and after school and during her lunch and planning periods. Outside of her activities at the middle school, she also teaches high school level softball and basketball. As Mrs. DeAngelis phrased it, "Mrs. Riley puts kids first, and this shows in her involvement in our school district."
Mrs. Riley's role in the school spelling bee is what first encouraged her school's assistant principal to nominate her for the "Teacher Feature." Before the bee is put on the calendar for students and parents of Orrville Middle School, Mrs. Riley gets together with others from the school to organize the event. Then she holds a meeting for students and provides them with information about the bee, including how to study, as well as the grade-level and school-level word lists. When the big day arrives, Mrs. Riley runs the show while also serving as pronouncer, a role she has performed for the past seven years. Her job doesn't end when a school bee champion is crowned; instead, she helps prepare the winner for the Wayne County spelling bee and even attends the subsequent levels of competition to support her students. Considering her involvement in so many other facets of school life, the amount of effort that she puts into the school spelling bee is nothing short of incredible!
The Scripps National Spelling Bee would like to thank Mrs. Riley for enriching her students' spelling bee experiences before, during and after their involvement in the school bee. By digging in to the study materials with her students, she provides an enhanced learning approach that will stay in their memories for years to come.
If you would like to nominate an educator for an upcoming “Teacher Feature,” let us know. Simply fill out your contact information, then nominate a teacher on the following page.