At LINK nky, we believe that educators – whether they are teachers or principals, tutors or superintendents – are at the heart of our community’s success. The Educator of the Week contest is our way of recognizing and celebrating the incredible educators who go above and beyond for Northern Kentucky students every day.
By highlighting their dedication, creativity, and impact, we hope to shine a light on the important role educators play in shaping the future—and to give our community a chance to show its appreciation for the people who make a lasting difference in our classrooms.
We’ve had lots of nominations come in, and now it’s time to start voting!
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.
Click here for a full list of official rules and to nominate an educator.
The Educators
Educator: Cheri Beiting
Role: First Grade Teacher at St. Cecilia Catholic School
Nominator: Jenna Knipper
Why Knipper nominated Beiting:
It seems the creator of this award was inspired by Cheri Beiting. She is the epitome of what schools strive to cultivate. Her peers appreciate and admire her approachable, professional, knowledgeable, candidate demeanor, while her students in their parents adore her approach with kids, her personality, and delivery of information. She makes it fun to go to school, and she truly goes above and beyond in every aspect of her work. I just hope she holds off retirement long enough for my other son to experience her in a couple years!
Educator: Marti Jo Houlehan
Role: First Grade teacher at Woodfill Elementary School
Nominator: Brooke Riesenbeck
Why Riesenbeck Nominated Houlehan:
Marti Jo Houlehan is an incredible educator! She teaches 1st grade at Woodfill Elementary, Mrs. Houlehan is patient and so very kind . She first meets the most important needs of each child, helping them to be confident of their value and their capabilities. The students in Mrs. Houlehan’s class know that they are loved and respected, and in turn are free to be themselves to learn and grow in the most productive way! Mrs. Houlehan makes everyone around her better.
Educator: Mary Ella Rorer
Role: Teacher at Gray Middle School
Nominator: Cynthia Douglas
Why Douglas nominated Rorer:
Mary Ella is a MSD teacher at Gray Middle School where she has 6th, 7th, and 8th grade moderate to severe special needs students. Some of her students have autism and can be verbal or non-verbal as well as students with Downs. This job can sometimes be very challenging but it can also be very rewarding. The class goes out into the community usually weekly to go bowling, or to the grocery, or to the Sheriff office, or just to eat lunch. As well as being a teacher she coaches a 6th grade girls basketball team for the school. Mary Ella also participant in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics, the Buddy Walk for Downs, helps cheer on and support some of her students who participate in Unified Bowling and helps with Unified Track and Field. I feel that Mary Ella is very deserving of being the NKY Educator of the week.
Now it’s time to vote
Voting opens at 3 p.m. on Mondays and closes at 3 p.m. to following Monday. Winners will be announced on Tuesday after voting has ended.
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.
We’ll keep an eye out for spam or automated votes to make sure everyone has a fair chance, but enthusiastic community support is absolutely encouraged.