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Vantage math teacher earns district award

VW independent/submitted information

Each year, the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics recognizes outstanding teachers, professors, emerging leaders, and friends of mathematics. 

Kelly Horstman

Teachers can be nominated by a colleague, administrator, student, or parent. Once nominated, teachers submit an application, and an outstanding elementary, middle, and high school teacher is selected from each of the eight districts based on their philosophy on how students learn mathematics, their participation in professional development and organizations, as well as their leadership roles. After receiving a district award, teachers are eligible to apply for a state teaching award.

This year, Vantage Career Center math teacher Kelly Horstman has received the Ohio Council Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) Northwest District Outstanding Teacher Award. 

“Kelly was nominated because she consistently uses best practices in her classroom for both pedagogy and classroom management,” said Vantage Director Mike Knott. “She is a leader in our academic department, she models the use of relevant technology, and always tries to relate her math curriculum to career applications. 

“She has been a leader in the use of the Desmos online graphing calculators and the associated Activity Builder,” Knott added. “This has been important to our students, as Desmos is the built-in calculator used by the state end of course tests. Her expertise has led her to present at both local and state wide conferences to share these best practices with other educators.” 

This year, more than 120 classroom teachers were nominated for the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics Teacher Awards. Through the organization’s rigorous selection process, 21 teachers were chosen for district awards and six were selected for the state awards. The award winners will be honored during a banquet at the annual OCTM Conference in Sandusky on Thursday, October 24. 

POSTED: 08/29/19 at 6:08 am. FILED UNDER: News