Pius X Spanish Teacher Katie Hayes Named Teacher of the Month
Katie Hayes, Spanish Teacher at Pius X High School, is the latest Teacher of the Month honoree recognized by Lincoln East Rotary Club and U.S. Bank. She will be recognized at the organization’s awards luncheon on December 10, 2014.
Hayes was nominated by Pius X Principal Tom Korta, and letters of support were submitted by Katie’s colleague and International Languages Department Chair Tracy Chapelle, senior student Jacinta Benton, and Hayes’ former student Catherine Berrick, who graduated from Pius X in 2013.
A native of Lincoln, Neb., Hayes was valedictorian of Pius X’s class of 1999 and a Chancellor’s Scholar at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, where she graduated with honors. There, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education and her Master of Arts in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education. Over the past 12 years, Hayes has taught Spanish III, IV, and Spanish Literature, and has served as co-sponsor of Spanish Club. She and her husband, Britt, have four children.
At the December 10th reception, Wayne Casper, chairman of the Teacher of the Month Committee for Lincoln East Rotary, will be presenting Hayes with a certificate and a $100 check for her personal use. On behalf of award co-sponsor U.S. Bank, she also will be awarded $100 towards the purchase classroom materials.
“Katie has been a blessing to our Spanish Department and our school,” Korta says. “She is a tireless, innovative, compassionate teacher who has helped raise the bar of the quality of instruction across our Languages Department and has contributed valuable insights to our overall school improvement efforts. She is well-deserving of this honor.”
“Mrs. Hayes, or ‘Maestra Hayes,’ as we called her in class, was the most patient, caring teacher I have ever had the honor of being mentored by,” Berrick wrote in her letter nominating her former teacher. “She never had an unkind word to say, and treated every student with compassion and respect.”
Berrick explained why there was never a boring class with Hayes. “She made up games to help us learn vocabulary and grammar, including singing songs, dancing, and doing creative activities that were engaging and made learning enjoyable,” she wrote. “Maestra was consistent with classroom protocol; she was prepared and organized for each class period, so there were never any surprises and she kept her students motivated to complete assignments and study to get the most out of the class.”
Hayes’ love for Spanish inspired Berrick to continue studying the language in college. “I was blessed to have Maestra Hayes as an instructor and, she ended up being one of the main reasons that Spanish is part of my double-major at UNL, and will be part of my life forever,” Berrick reflected. “Her passion and dedication to teaching and interacting with students is truly inspiring.”
