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.
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: Matthew Von Handorf
Role: Teacher at Campbell County Middle School
Nominator: Chelsey Powell
Why Powell nominated Von Handorf:
Mr.Von has truly changed my child’s perspective on school. My son is so excited to see him in the car riding line every morning and talks about him all the time after school.
Mr.Von has helped him become a better reader and he has stayed out of trouble this year. Not only do you see him in the classroom but at the school plays, sporting events, and other academics supporting the kids.
Educator: Zorada Porter
Role: Teacher at Covington Latin School
Nominator: Samantha Darpel
Why Darpel nominated Porter:
Ms. Porter is a talented, dedicated teacher. There are few English teachers that walk the walk and talk the talk, but Ms. Porter is one of them. She has a true passion for written and spoken language.
Just stepping into her classroom, students emerge into a Lord of the Rings themed haven where students are knighted for their bravery in the classroom. Her unique vision and way of presenting information requires students to think critically and connect to the content in her classes in a multitude of ways. Her dedication to her practice is impeccable as is the environment that she nurtures.
Educator: Dan Woolley
Role: Teacher at Simon Kenton High School
Nominator: Christine Woolley
Why Hoerlein nominated Young:
Dan Woolley is a stand up educator who teaches Freshmen not just social studies but how to be civically engaged in our community. Dan listens to his students, works to help them achieve while overcoming whatever barriers they may be facing, and genuinely cares about kids. Dan is interested in hearing his students’ stories and connecting with them as a mentor.
Teaching freshman can be hard but Dan excels at it with his patience and time managemet. For years he worked as a valued member of our football coaching staff where he helped shape our players into good sportmen on and off the field. He is willing to help any student whether he knows them or not and works to promote a positive school climate.
As a collegue, Dan is a strong team member. He volunteers his own time to help people understand modern technology including AI programs, he spent hours assisting a long term substitute teacher become familiar with the class content, and has demonstrated to the staff on multiple occassions how we can use technology to become more efficient.
Every teacher has a duty to perform outside of teaching class. Every morning for years, Dan has stood in the rain, show, sleet, hail, wind, and cold to direct traffic and help students safely cross traffic to our school’s sidewalk. He does not get extra pay for this service.
Dan is always very appreciative of people when they go out of their way for others and makes sure to thank them for their efforts. I would like to see someone thank him for his efforts.
Now it’s time to vote
Voting opens at 3 p.m. on Mondays and closes at 3 p.m. the 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.