Marion County; Teacher of the Year Finalist

Krista Blankenship knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. Krista tells us, “I’ve always loved school, even when I wasn’t old enough to go. My mother volunteered in my siblings’ school and I was always in tow. School has always been present in my life. I became a teacher because I wanted to share my love for learning. Discovering something new is exciting and I get to be a witness to new discoveries children make everyday. I also became a teacher to make a difference. Being a positive role model, showing my students that education is important and powerful, and seeking out engaging experiences are all just perks to my job. I put building positive relationships with my students a priority every year. My classroom is a place where we work hard, but we also play hard.”

She loves the fact that everyday is different with new challenges and learning experiences. When asked about a memorable time as a teacher she said, “One of the coolest things I experienced in more recent years was attending a graduation walk at a former school. It was during school hours and I had to leave work early. I was running late and missed the walk, but made it to the library where all the students were taking pictures. I walked in during the group picture and a large part of my former fifth-grade class, who were seniors, broke up the picture and came running over to me yelling my name. We stood in a circle and they were all smiles and told me about all the interesting paths life was taking them. It was a moving experience and it was one of the biggest examples for me of the impact that I made in their lives.”

We asked her about her high tunnel project. “The high tunnel project idea came from a professional conference I attended a couple years ago. A gentleman spoke about how greenhouses and gardening projects transformed the area in which he taught. Listening to him got my wheels turning. After getting approval from my principal, I took off with this idea. I didn’t have enough funds to do everything we wanted, but we had enough to get started with something. I reached out to some organizations for a lot of advice on how we could get established with the funds we had. One of those organizations, the Monongahela Conservation District, came back with a generous donation which allowed us to purchase everything we needed instead of getting by with the bare minimum. The project is still pretty new, and we’re trying to best figure out how it fits into our school and curriculum. There were also many people who donated time and supplies to contribute to the project.”

We asked Krista about another project she sponsors, Trout in the Classroom. “Trout in the Classroom is a project that was started by Dr. Jennifer Ripley Stueckle. She started the program here with just four tanks in two schools and now has 24 tanks in 22 schools. I was watching the news one day and heard about the program and contacted her the next day to let her know I was interested. I was put on a waitlist and had started thinking of ways to fund the project, but then “Miss Jennifer” worked her magic and blessed my classroom with the whole system to run this program. We receive trout as eggs in the Fall, learn about their needs throughout their life cycle, and then take care of them until they’re ready to release (hopefully).

There are also other organizations and individuals she works with that give presentations and work with students. Last year someone from the DEP gave a hands-on presentation about the effects people have on water. Students who experience Trout in the Classroom are extremely lucky to be a part of this process.” She continued, “The eagerness for students (and me) leading up to the delivery of the eggs can be felt in my classroom when it comes up in conversation. Families get excited to hear about what is happening in our tank. It connects students to their own families and other students because everyone enjoys hearing the updates. Students also have an opportunity to be responsible and take pride in something. They do most of the work with the tank.”

When asked about being a Teacher of the Year finalist, “Surprised is an understatement. I’m really not sure what word would go with the emotion I felt when I received the news. I don’t think that teachers do this job for the recognition. We go above and beyond, because we want our students to connect positively with education and grow to be contributing citizens in society.”

When asked about her time outside the classroom she tells us that her daughters are the “center of my world” and that she enjoys cooking and baking.