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Wellington, Kan. —
Nathan Holcomb didn't know what to expect when he was called into the Principal's office at the beginning of the school year.
That visit, however, led to Holcomb being selected for a state-wide honor and Belle Plaine adding another educational achievement to their growing list.
Sherra Taylor, Belle Plaine Elementary School Principal, and Dr. Rose Kane, USD 357 Superintendent, nominated Holcomb for the Kansas Horizon Award sponsored by the Kansas Department of Education. The KSDE Horizon Award identifies and recognizes exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. Each year only 32 teachers are honored.
Holcomb, BPES Music Teacher, was required to provide recommendations, personal references, and essays. The subject of one essay was "what advice would you give a first-year teacher?"
"Remember that the job is not about you. It's about the students. Involve them," Holcomb included. "They are your future."
Holcomb describes himself as having a "crazy personality." He stated that his classes have "no down time" and are "very loud."
"I make the best out of the students' energy and want music to be meaningful and fun for them."
Holcomb, himself, was never an elementary student in the normal sense. He was home-schooled by his mother in Derby.
He earned his Associate Degree from Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City and later graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in Music Education with emphasis in piano and vocal music.
Holcomb indicated his family is responsible for his interest in and love of music. "We were brought up with the piano and singing in the church choir."
This is the second Horizon awarded to a BPES teacher in two years. Last year Christie Boote Kipp, Second Grade Teacher, was honored. Holcomb's award also comes on the heels of Belle Plaine being selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as the sixth best place to raise children in the United States and the best place in Kansas.
Nathan Holcomb didn't know what to expect when he was called into the Principal's office at the beginning of the school year.
That visit, however, led to Holcomb being selected for a state-wide honor and Belle Plaine adding another educational achievement to their growing list.
Sherra Taylor, Belle Plaine Elementary School Principal, and Dr. Rose Kane, USD 357 Superintendent, nominated Holcomb for the Kansas Horizon Award sponsored by the Kansas Department of Education. The KSDE Horizon Award identifies and recognizes exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. Each year only 32 teachers are honored.
Holcomb, BPES Music Teacher, was required to provide recommendations, personal references, and essays. The subject of one essay was "what advice would you give a first-year teacher?"
"Remember that the job is not about you. It's about the students. Involve them," Holcomb included. "They are your future."
Holcomb describes himself as having a "crazy personality." He stated that his classes have "no down time" and are "very loud."
"I make the best out of the students' energy and want music to be meaningful and fun for them."
Holcomb, himself, was never an elementary student in the normal sense. He was home-schooled by his mother in Derby.
He earned his Associate Degree from Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City and later graduated from Wichita State University with a degree in Music Education with emphasis in piano and vocal music.
Holcomb indicated his family is responsible for his interest in and love of music. "We were brought up with the piano and singing in the church choir."
This is the second Horizon awarded to a BPES teacher in two years. Last year Christie Boote Kipp, Second Grade Teacher, was honored. Holcomb's award also comes on the heels of Belle Plaine being selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as the sixth best place to raise children in the United States and the best place in Kansas.
