Sternhagen named Teacher of the Year

GRUNDY CENTER – Longtime Grundy Center Middle School and High School art teacher, Ronda Sternhagen, was recently named Grundy Center’s Teacher of the Year by the Masons of Emerald Lodge 334 here in town.
 
“It’s very humbling,” Sternhagen said of her award. “Teachers in general don’t think in terms of ‘me’ they think in terms of ‘we.’ You’re only as good as the people you hang out with, so I think of this more as an award for everyone; for the people I work with and the students here. It’s a team effort.”
 
Sternhagen has been with the district for 25 years. She began as an elementary art teacher shared between Grundy Center and Hudson, then transitioned to K-12 art at Grundy Center, before settling into her position as an art teacher at the Grundy Center Secondary School, where she currently teaches fifth through twelfth grade art.
 
Though teaching art is her job, Sternhagen says she also tries to teach students other important things, such as character building.
 
“I really try to instill upon my students a sense of kindness, compassion and hope,” she said. “It’s not necessarily art related, but it’s more life related. Art, of course, is a bonus.”
 
As a teacher, Sternhagen says the students have always been the driving force behind what she does.
 
“It’s always been about the kids; they’re the number one priority for any teacher,” she said. “I love teaching because of them; no two days are ever the same. I think it’s also really nice to live in a district where you teach because you get to be a part of that community day in and day out. You teach the kids, you see them at events, you see them outside of school. It’s the same with the other teachers; you really get to know everyone on a whole different level and there’s that certain closeness. We’re all family here.”
 
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