The Make a Mark Award is a special award honoring teachers in St. Johns County that encourage their students to make their mark on the world. When a teacher invests in their students they can inspire them to persevere and not give up! A winner will be chosen each month from an elementary and a secondary school by students & community business partners.
Katie Bohatch is the September 2019 Make a Mark Award Winner for Middle School
Katie Bohatch is a wonderful middle school teacher at Valley Ridge Academy who teaches 7th grade ELA. She is warm and caring to her students while also expecting the very best in her classroom each and every day. We have had the pleasure of her class for both of our children. Katie has the ability to “mold to the child”….accommodating each child’s learning style and unique skills. She makes these young adults feel confident and she shows them how to enjoy reading! Her unit on the Outsiders is amazing. She reaches these kids….at an age when almost nothing can spark them….she ignites in them the love of books and how these stories can teach them to grow. I have seen Katie herself grow as a teacher and strive to be the very best in her career. I can see how the students respect her and look up to her. She leads by example and I couldn’t be more proud of my children’s growth and of Katie!
Jennifer Peters-Smith is the September 2019 Make a Mark Award Winner for High School
Jennifer Peters Smith graduated from Pedro, went to college at Flagler and went back to teach at Pedro. She is constantly thinking of her students- working often nights and weekends on projects and goals for her classroom. The students are always on her mind. She has spent summers in Uganda helping teachers there expand curriculum and sponsored a teacher from Uganda to live with her here and shadow teach. She has innovative ideas and tries to make her class relevant and interesting to her students. She lives and breathes teaching and so deserves this recognition.