Pat Stellflue – Top Notch Teacher

Pat Stellflue is an art teacher at EagleBluff Elementary School in Onalaska, WI and is April’s Top Notch Teacher. Some of her class activities include making pottery, listening to records, yes actual vinyl and drawing pictures. Mrs. Stellflue’s class also weaves rugs out of rags and sells them at EagleBluff Fairs.

While at Honda Motorwerks Pat remarked at how resilient children are, their quick ability to forgive, and kids eagerness to learn. She has worked in photography and other creative disciplines before coming to teaching. Since then she has not looked back and says her kids are remarkable and a joy to teach. Honda Motorwerks is pleased to recognize Pat Stellflue as a Top Notch Teacher and awards her the use of a Honda Insight. Thanks for keeping the creative arts alive in Wisconsin!

Honda Motorwerks is pleased to present Top Notch Teacher Mary Kay Richert with a 30 day usage of a Honda Insight hybrid vehicle. Ms. Richert is a 2nd grade teacher at Cathedral Elementary and has been teaching for over 24 years.

Honda Motorwerks is happy to award June’s Top Notch Teacher Jen Gulsvig with a 30 day Honda Insight usage. Miss Gulsvig is a choral director at Lincoln Middle School in La Crosse. She first started at Lincoln 7 years ago and had only 19 students in the show choir. Now, she has two choirs with more than 90 kids. Congratulations Jen Gulsvig! You are a Top Notch Teacher!

Check out the full News 8000 story.

Honda Motorwerks is proud to award Kathy Wacker a Honda Insight for the month. Mrs. Wacker is an elementary school music teacher who splits her time between Lemonweir Elementary, Camps Douglas and Oakdale.

After 29 years of teaching, this top notch teacher continues to engage her students through hands on learning. In an interview with WKBT she said, “The music actually starts becoming a part of them instead of the music being around them.” Congratulations Kathy Wacker!

Mark Roeckers teaches math and runs the drama department at Cotter High School in Winona. Mr Roeckers is August’s Top Notch Teacher and has been teaching for over 20 years. Honda Motorwerks is pleased to award the 30 day use of a 2010 Honda Insight in recognition of his extra effort in the community. Please congratulate Mark Roeckers as a Top Notch Teacher next time you see him.

Melody Snyder is nominated for Top Notch Teacher, receiving one month with a Honda Insight Hybrid.

Melody is a music teacher with eight years of experience working in the Winona School District.  Nominated by a co-worker for the award, she will be driving the Honda Motorwerks/News Channel 8 Top Notch Teacher car, a Honda Insight Hybrid.

What follows is a copy of the nomination message that was submitted to WKBT – News Channel 8:

“Ms. Snyder has been a band teacher at WMS for 8 years.  She is a fabulous teacher and person.  Since she began teaching at WMS the band program has increased in participation a great deal.  I often hear students talking about how much they like Ms. Snyder and enjoy band.  She has a bubbly, energetic personality that gets kids excited to be in band and make music together.  Ms. Snyder has started many programs at WMS to help students participate in band.  She started an instrument collection program, which she calls Band for All, to obtain instruments for students who are unable to afford them.  She has done a lot of work with beginning band students to help them learn about and try instruments so they can find what they like to do.  Ms. Snyder started taking 8th grade students to a band festival so they can perform and be critiqued as well as hear other bands perform.  Ms. Snyder directs the Winona High School Jazz Band, and has helped many students learn skills and creativity outside of the wind ensemble.  This year, Ms. Snyder’s band has been selected from bands all across the state to perform at the Minnesota Music Educator’s Mid-Winter Festival, a very big honor.  Ms. Snyder has high expectations for her students, and works with them to help them meet their goals and achieve great things together.  Each year as the numbers increase in the program Ms. Snyder’s time is stretched more and more; however, she always finds a way to make time to meet the needs of every student and give them all the highest quality of education possible.  She works extremely hard, often giving up her daily prep time to teach lessons and coming in nights and weekends to do her prep.  She is an amazing and dedicated teacher!”

Honda Motorwerks agrees.  Melody is truly deserving of the honor of being the Top Notch Teacher for the month of October 2013!  Congratulations to Melody.

Click here to view the News8000.com article and video of October Top Notch Teacher, Melody Snyder.

Larry went back to college to become a teacher at age 40.  He has been working for the School District of La Crosse for 9 years teaching Kindergarten and now 4th grade. Before he went to get his teaching certificate he volunteered as a classroom teacher’s assistant at Emerson Elementary when his daughters attended grade school there. His school is the Northside Elementary School that is housed in the Roosevelt Building and is now the combination of students and staff from Franklin Elementary and Roosevelt.

The old Franklin Elementary School was razed this summer to make way for a brand new school to be called the Northside Elementary that is currently under construction at the site of the old Franklin School.

Larry is really enjoying his teaching career as well as his other responsibilities as the owner of the famous Pizza Doctors restaurant on 7th Street in La Crosse.  He is enthusiastic about working with children and looks forward to going to work every day.

During the month of December Mr. Mc Mahon will have another reason to be excited about going to work every day.  Larry will be driving in the advanced Honda Insight Hybrid Top Notch Teacher car for the month provided by Honda Motorwerks as an extra bonus for being designated the Top Teacher for December.

Hearty Congratulations to Mr Larry Mc Mahon from all of us at Honda Motorwerks for his accomplishment!

Mr. Larry proudly claims his month in the Honda Insight Hybrid as Top Notch Teacher of December.

Enjoy, Mr. Larry!

Shannon Mock’s daughter is in Mr. Larry’s class, and her nomination says it all:

“Mr. Larry deserves the Top Notch teacher award because he really engages the children in learning.  My daughter has, unfortunately, been to a few different schools and now returned to Roosevelt and has Mr. Larry for the second time.  She is excited about school again!!  She was running a high fever yesterday but was so sad to miss because Mr. Larry was reading a book to them and she loves to listen to him.  Larry sings songs, incorporates dances, and stories as well as identifies with each and every student to make them excited to learn.  His personal approach and chld-like sense of adventure and eagerness for education have saved my daughter’s love for school and reading!  We were all jumping for joy when we found out that her return to Roosevelt after 3 years of being gone was going to be cushioned by Mr. Larry – and – He REMEMBERED her right off the bat!  As the owner of Pizza Doctor’s who has now dedicated his life to children’s education – this man deserves kudos and an award because he is definitely a TOP NOTCH teacher!!  He has earned the love and respect from every parent and child he has encountered and Roosevelt would never be the same without him!”

The March Top Notch Teacher is Jennifer Peterson from Viroqua Elementary, a special education teacher dedicated to the well-being of her students both inside and outside of the classroom.  The following article published by WKBT does a fantastic job of capturing why Jennifer was chosen for this month’s award.

Congratulations, Jennifer, and enjoy your month of driving the Insight Honda Hybrid!

Congratulations to Jennifer Peterson, and thanks for taking extra care with the students of Viroqua Elementary!

March Top Notch Teacher: Jennifer Peterson

Viroqua Elementary teacher visits students after school to help

Author:  Leah Linscheid, llinscheid@wkbt.com

This month’s Top Notch Teacher comes to us from Viroqua Elementary School, where parents and staff say Jennifer Peterson ‘goes above and beyond’ what a normal teacher does for her kids.

Peterson has been working at Viroqua for seven years, as an early childhood special education teacher. She teaches children between the ages of 3 and 5 who may have physical, mental or behavioral disabilities.

“I fell in love with this age group and what I’m doing and the kids, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Peterson says of her job.

It’s not the kind of position that just any teacher can excel at.

“The reason Ms. Peterson shines is because of the type of person she is – she is open, she is friendly,” said Principal Ryan Rieber.

Peterson works with children at their earliest stage of education, as soon as they’re eligible for classes at age 3.  She’s known to visit her students at home after the schoolday has ended to lend parents a hand. Whether it’s in the classroom or in their living rooms, Ms. Peterson will go the extra mile to ensure she’s there to help.

“If its helps me to help them, I want to be able to do everyhting I can to help these kids,” she said.

Oftentimes, Ms. Peterson will teach the same children for three years over the course of her program, helping to prep them for the challenege ahead in kindergarten.

“The skills they develop in order to get to that point where they can go forward and take those next steps, is the foundation that Jenny’s starting with them,” Rieber said.

“I grow very attached to these little kiddos and to have them go on to another teacher is very sad, but also its very nice to see them grow up and be successful,” Peterson said.

But it’s not just these kids that Ms. Peterson is helping – it’s her fellow staff, as well.

“She’s so giving of herself and time and energy and experience, having somebody like that, it makes everybody’s jobs easier, Rieber said.

Peterson is actually the third teacher from Viroqua’s school district to receive the top notch award – Principal Rieber has also been awarded it.

Congratulations to Jackie Goetsch on being nominated for top notch teacher.  For video coverage of this story visit WKBT’s website and read their story below for more details about Jackie’s nomination.

Top notch teacher of the month Jackie Goetsch stands with the Honda Insight Hybrid, her ride for the month of April.

April Top Notch Teacher: Jackie Goetsch

Emerson Elementary teacher hosts ‘homework club’ to help students

This month’s Top Notch Teacher comes to us from Emerson Elementary in La Crosse. Second-grade teacher Jackie Goetsch is known for her upbeat, positive and can do attitude.

To Goetsch, the second graders in her class are much more than students.

“Here’s an easy one friends,” Goetsch said.

Being with her friends every day is something she’s wanted since she was their age.

“I had awesome teachers when I was young, I wanted to be like them when I grew up,” Goetsch said.

“She’s a good teacher,” second-grader Porter Ryan said.

“So I feel like I’ve been very blessed that I’ve been able to follow my dream and me passion to teach,” Goetsch said.

Goetsch started in the La Crosse district nearly 25 years ago and has dedicated lots of her time before school, after school and even on the weekends to making sure all of her friends live up to their potential.

“I do a homework club on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s with a small group of friends, just to give them some extra support. Usually math, writing, reading help,” Goetsch said.

With all the extra time spent helping her friends sometimes lesson planning gets pushed to the weekend, but that’s no a big deal.

“It’s all about making memories and the extra time that I put in is really devoted towards that,” Goetsch said.

Goetsch said teaching has always been her joy and passion and she doesn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

“I want my room, and I think it is one of my strengths, to be just the most comfortable and joyful environment for my kids so that they can learn because you can learn so much more and so much easier if you feel safe and happy,” Goetsch said.

Besides the homework club Goetsch does a program called books for breakfast where kids put on a reading show for their parents and siblings.

Name: Sara Anderson

City: Sparta

News Tip: Mrs. Guns is one of the best teachers in Sparta.  Ask anyone.  When you hear anyone talking about her, they are smiling, talking positive or sharing a wonderful story they have because they have been in her classroom. She makes each student feel special . . and yes, every teacher should do this, but she has an extra special way of making them feel good about themselves.  She enjoys being with them, and they can feel it.  They know it.  Her theme this year is all about smiles, and happiness.  She has smiley faces covering her room. They remind the kids to think positive, and to “be happy”. But they hold a special place for Mrs. Guns as well, as smiley faces remind her of her mom, who passed several years ago, but wanted everyone to remember her with happiness in their heart.  In the end, former students visit her, hug her, and still love her.  She volunteers, coaches, remembers all of her students fondly, and makes each and every day, the best it can be for her “kiddos”.  She is one of the best Top Notch Teachers.