Park Hill superintendent visits Hopewell Elementary to present 'star of the month' recognition

The superintendent of the Park Hill School District visited Hopewell Elementary to present the district’s "star of the month" recognition to a teacher who was nominated by a colleague.

The recognition highlighted the teacher’s work with students in small-group and one-on-one instruction, and the superintendent praised the teacher’s commitment to students and colleagues.

Sarah Vivard, who identified herself as a first-grade teacher at Hopewell, spoke about classroom practice and working with students. “I like to sit at the table with miss Bieber and practice my words. Meeting with the kids 1 on 1 and in small group is, like, the best thing. I try to meet with all of them multiple times a week in small groups and then 1 on 1. It's the best time,” Vivard said. She added that small-group work lets teachers “learn about what they need and how you can help them and get to see more of what they actually like.”

The superintendent praised the award recipient’s approach to students and colleagues, saying the teacher “genuinely care[s] about your individuals, about individual student needs, work tirelessly to address them, [is a] passionate champion for students, make[s] sure everyone's supported and willing to put in the extra time and effort to make students succeed while supporting your teammates and having collaborative conversations.” The superintendent said the teacher was nominated by another teacher.

The visit included remarks to students gathered at the school and a round of applause from attendees. The superintendent closed the recognition with another round of applause and thanks for the teacher’s work.

No formal board actions or district policy changes were announced during the visit.