The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Sloan named 2019 ‘teacher of the year’

VW independent/submitted information

Robert Sloan of Van Wert is the 2019 Teacher of the Year for State Board of Education District 1.

Sloan, who is director of the Van Wert High School band, teaches his students to represent themselves, the band, school, and community with pride. School leaders say he makes real-world connections for his students by introducing them to the contemporary composers of the pieces they play. He also gives band members the chance to serve the larger Van Wert community through roughly 45 performances a year, including parades and military funerals.

Bob Sloan

Reaching beyond his community, Sloan has served as a judge for state-level student music competitions and chaired the Ohio Music Educators Association Honors Choir and Band Festival for 14 years.

Sloan and 10 other regional Teacher of the Year awardees each have the chance to be named the 2019 Ohio Teacher of the Year this fall.

“Teachers are at the forefront of Ohio’s charge to create bright, exciting futures for our students,” said Paolo DeMaria, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction. “The Ohio Teacher of the Year program recognizes inspiring educators who elevate our public education system and ensure real world success for our students.”

The Ohio Department of Education invited school districts in State Board District 1 to nominate teachers for the regional award. Linda Haycock, State Board District 1 representative, worked with a committee of educators, parents and business leaders to select Sloan as the recipient.

“Robert Sloan supports hundreds of students in their musical endeavors,” Haycock said. “Constantly searching for methods to improve his teaching and inspire self-motivation and excellence among his students, he has earned the Ohio Department of Education’s Master Teacher title.”

“What separates Mr. Sloan from the other music directors and qualifies him as one of the best educators in Ohio is the way he goes above and beyond to make education better for students,” said Van Wert High School Principal Robert Priest.

A panel of education and community stakeholders will select the 2019 Ohio Teacher of the Year. That educator will represent the Buckeye State in the National Teacher of the Year selection sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

POSTED: 07/31/18 at 7:45 am. FILED UNDER: News