Masked Hero: Tabitha Wu
Superpower: Stay calm and kind for my students in situations of stress “I believe that EVERY child deserves the best…
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Masked Hero: Andrea Lowe
Superpower: Generate weird and random teaching examples. Understanding the how and why concepts work together, rather than just presenting facts and numbers, can create long-lasting learning for students. This is how Ames High Earth and Space Science teacher Andrea Lowe approaches the classroom. “I'm spending more time teaching the hows - how to use technology wisely and beneficially, how to complete certain actions or functions, how to find information when you don't have immediate access to the teacher.”
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Masked Hero: Suzy Nordhus
Superpower: Shapeshifting teaching style For much of the school year, Suzy Nordhus has taught preschool students both in the classroom and remotely. She knows the challenges of engaging up to 20 preschool students at a time through the computer. “I am quite the three-ring circus, sideshow act when I teach. I do nothing short of tap dance on the tables to keep students (or maybe just myself) engaged during remote learning. But I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these little people.” This is why they love her!
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Masked Hero: Charles Grim
Superpower: Making students smile through their masks. “I am much happier trying to make sure the kids are happier,” said Charles Grim when asked what he has learned about himself during this pandemic. It is this approach to teaching that has allowed Grim to teach elementary music for 32 years, 22 of which have been in the Ames district.
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Masked Hero: Barb Malchow
Superpower: Making connections and storytelling. “Every student matters. Every student is a unique individual. Every student deserves the best I can give them in order to help them grow and realize their greatest potential.” This is how Barb Malchow approaches teaching every single day. With a sign in her room that reads “I am of great worth. I have unlimited potential. I can make good choices. I can do hard things. I am amazing inside and out,” Malchow challenges students to believe in themselves.
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Masked Hero: Mark Royer
Superpower: The ability to see the world with childlike wonder. The ability to see the world with childlike wonder is a superpower that transcends time and allows Mark Royer to connect with students on a unique level. “I'm just a big kid disguised as an adult.” Royer has been with the Ames district since 2001 and as a full-time Extended Learning Program (ELP) elementary teacher since 2013.
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Masked Hero: Katrina Williams
Superpower: The ability to take every learning on an educational journey. When in the classroom, Katrina Williams often moves into her alter ego to take students on an educational journey to places where they may not have gone before. “The journey each day is to convince a student learner that I have something worthwhile to teach them.” With 27+ years in education and her second in Ames, Williams is navigating a complicated year by focusing on her powers while developing others along the way.
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