Students, parents invited to nominate teacher who made an impact on education

For the City Times

Skyward, Inc. and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have again partnered to hold Educator’s Appreciation Night at Witter Field in 2017.

As part of the evening, the Rafters and Skyward will honor an area teacher as the Skyward Central Wisconsin Teacher of the Year.

The winning teacher will have a bobblehead created in their likeness, which will be given away to fans during next season. The honoree will also be invited to the Educator’s Appreciation Night, where they will be recognized on the field prior to the Rafters game by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

The winning teacher and their family will also receive free tickets to attend the game, courtesy of Skyward.

Past recipients of the Skyward Central Wisconsin Teacher of the Year award include: Mrs. Cathy Tritz of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School; Mr. Bill Oswald of Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School; Ms. Jessica Fischer of Ben Franklin Junior High in Stevens Point; and Mr. Scott Sigourney of Woodside Elementary in Wisconsin Rapids.

Cliff King, Skyward CEO, said the company was “pleased” to once again partner with the Rafters for the project.

“These teachers play a pivotal role in shaping student success,” King said, “and Skyward appreciates their mission to create a better learning environment.”

All area K-12 students and parents are encouraged to nominate a teacher for next year’s recognition; one they feel has made a positive impact on their life and deserves to be recognized as Central Wisconsin Teacher of the Year.

Nominations must be made in the form of an essay explaining why the teacher is so deserving. Essays must be 300 words or less, with a 12-point font and single-spaced. Authors must also include their full name, address and phone number, as well as the name of the teacher’s school.

Anyone who nominates a winning teacher will also receive four tickets to Educator’s Appreciation Night, and an autographed baseball from the 2017 Rafters team.

Nominations can be sent via U.S. Mail to: Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, ATTN: Teacher of the Year, 521 Lincoln St., Wis. Rapids, Wis. 54494; or by email at [email protected]

Nominations are due Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 by 5:00 PM.