Several Liberty High School students earned high marks at the Educators Rising state competition on March 4, 2020, at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Educators Rising competitions are performance-based events for aspiring teachers to exhibit their skills and knowledge in the field of education.

Senior Katie May scored first place in the Impromptu Lesson Planning category, and sophomores Athena Widlacki and Amanda Yoder took first place in Children’s Literature Pre-K. Sophomores Sruthi Ramesh and Jaden Zelidon achieved fourth place in Children’s Literature Pre-K, while seniors Julia Deters and Dylan Lindke earned an honorable mention in Children’s Literature K-3.

The club’s sponsor and Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, Sarah Genenbacher was proud of everyone who competed. “They put so much work and love into preparing these projects,” Genenbacher said. “It is a small glimpse into the future showing me what kind of dedicated and creative teachers they'll be one day. State competition in Educators Rising is about as real-world, career-ready as you can get. Competitions ask students to create and teach original lesson plans, create engaging lessons on the fly, write and illustrate age-appropriate worlds of children's literature, and to dive deeper into some of the major ethical dilemmas affecting our industry. All of this is then presented to current educators who provide feedback. It is a really incredible opportunity and I'm fortunate my students and I are able to be a part of it.”

All students who placed are eligible to compete at the national level this summer in Washington, D.C., June 17-21. Originally founded as Future Teachers of America in 1937 by the National Education Association (NEA), Educators Rising is powered by PDK International, a professional association for educators.

Students from Holt High School represented their chapter by timing and assisting judges in the competition, earning valuable experience to help prepare for future success in the program.