Ben Franklin Teacher Among 2015 Skyward’s Central Wisconsin Teachers of The Year
Mr. Bill Oswald, and Mrs. Jessica Fischer Nominated For 2nd Annual Award
City-Times Staff
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, in partnership with Skyward Inc., have announced the recipients of the 2015 Skyward Central Wisconsin Teacher of the Year award.
New this year, the Rafters and Skyward chose to honor one teacher from both the Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point Area School Districts. Mr. Bill Oswald, an English Language Arts teacher at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School, and Mrs. Jessica Fischer, a Special Education teacher at Ben Franklin Jr. High School in Stevens Point were presented with certificates by Rafters’ general manager John Fanta commemorating their nominations.
“We received another overwhelming response from the students in the second year of this promotion,” said Rafters general manager John Fanta. “After a thorough review of all essay submissions from the Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point Area Districts and consideration of the internal rating system put in place to aid in the selection, we are elated to be able to honor one teacher from each district next summer.”
Fanta also thanked Skyward for supporting the teachers and students in both districts.
The Rafters and Skyward Inc. will hold the 2nd annual Educator’s Appreciation Night at Witter Field during the 2015 season. As part of the evening, the Rafters and Skyward will honor Oswald and Fischer with a double-sided bobblehead to be given away to fans, and both teachers will be invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch.
The recipients and their families will also receive free tickets to attend the game, courtesy of Skyward Inc.
To facilitate the selection of the teacher, the Rafters held an essay contest for area students in grades K-12 during the months of October and November. All students were encouraged to nominate a teacher who they felt has made a positive impact on their life and write a 300 word essay on the reason as to why this teacher deserved to be recognized as the Skyward Central Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. More than 425 submissions from students were received.
Oswald is in his eighth year at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School and works primarily with sixth grade students in English and Language Arts. He also spends time with both the baseball and basketball programs at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids.
Fischer has been teaching for 10 years in the Stevens Point Area School District. She has been at Ben Franklin Junior High School for the past two years, following eight years at Bannach Elementary. At Ben Franklin, Mrs. Fischer provides support to special education students in grades 7-9 and also helps to team teach courses in math and science.
All students that submitted an essay about one of the winning teachers will receive four free tickets to the Educators Appreciation Night and autographed baseball from the 2015 Rafters team.
The date of the Educator’s Appreciation Night presented by Skyward Inc., will be announced in the spring of 2015 along with a full listing of the 2015 promotional schedule.