The LINK nky Educator of the Week contest recognizes and celebrates the incredible educators who go above and beyond for Northern Kentucky students every day.
Each week, we will choose three nominees who have made an impact on their community and who represent a diverse mix of roles, grade levels, subject areas, school types and geographic locations.
LINK nky’s Educator of the Week is sponsored by Gateway Community & Technical College. Each weekly winner will advance to the Educator of the Semester contest, where readers will vote to select one outstanding educator to receive a $100 gift card from Gateway to help purchase classroom supplies, decorations and other school essentials.
Click here for a full list of official rules and to nominate an educator.
The Educators
Educator: Daniel Schultz
Role: Teacher at Campbell County Middle School
Nominator: Avery Cole
Why Cole nominated Schultz:
I believe Mr.Schultz should be Educator of the Week because he is a fun teacher and he cares for his students. He is one of those teachers who gives us fun assignments and projects! He also lets us be creative with our projects.
If you do well on quiz’s/tests, you get an assignment pass, which basically says you don’t have to do one assignment! Also, if we don’t like where we sit, or someone is bothering us, he will make sure to tell them to stop or just move us, which kind of helps us get out of that awkward situation of sitting by someone you don’t like. So overall, vote for Mr.Schultz because he is a fun teacher and he cares for his students!
Educator: Jenni Kidwell
Role: Teacher at Mary A Goetz Elementary (Ludlow)
Nominator: Emily Sullivan
Why Sullivan nominated Kidwell:
I cannot recommend Mrs. Jenni Kidwell enough. Jenni is one of those teachers who makes you want to be a better teacher simply by watching the way she loves and supports her students. She truly knows her kids and cares about them as individuals, never making them feel like just another name on a roster. She is kind, firm, affectionate, patient, and incredibly caring, and she has a way of making her students feel loved and supported while also holding them to high expectations. She goes above and beyond to meet every student where they are and somehow always finds a way to help them reach goals they may not have thought were possible. She is almost always one of the last people to leave school because there is always “one more thing” she wants to do for her students or someone else who needs her. She wears so many hats in our building and gives so much of herself to her students, her coworkers, and especially our school community.
On a personal level, Jenni has had an impact on the teacher I am today. I have watched her dedication, work ethic, and servant heart firsthand, and she has taught me so much. She has reminded me that teaching is about so much more than the content we teach, it is about investing in people, building relationships, and helping children believe in themselves. She doesn’t just teach her students; she helps build the foundation they will carry with them long after they leave her classroom. When I think about the kind of teacher I want to be and the kind of teacher I am grateful to work alongside, I think of Jenni. She is truly an incredible educator, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of being recognized as Educator of the Week.
Read more about why Kidwell was nominated
Educator: Robert Durstock
Role: Teacher at Twenhofel County Middle School
Nominator: Candace Gasper
Why Gasper nominated Durstock:
Mr. Durstock has been an educator for 15 years. He has dedicated his career to teaching children everyone’s least favorite subject— math! He makes learning fun by meeting kids where they’re at, making them feel safe, and bringing an understanding of the challenges of learning math to the classroom that many teachers lose over their careers.
Mr. Durstock should be nominated for Educator of the Week because he is dedicated, thoughtful, and knowledgeable about the challenges of learning math in 8th grade. But really, who could forget?!? Mr. Durstock makes learning cool, accessible and engaging for children of all levels.
Now it’s time to vote
Voting closes at 3 p.m. on Sept. 21.
Vote as often as you like! There’s no limit to how many times you can show support for your favorite educator during the week.
Share the voting link with friends, family, students and coworkers — the more people who know about your nominee, the more votes they can earn!
LINK nky encourages friendly competition and community spirit. We want to see entire classrooms, schools and neighborhoods rally behind their favorite educators.