MBU Outstanding Educators Recognized by WACTE
WATERTOWN, Wis.—Maranatha Baptist University proudly celebrated the professional excellence of two graduates and area teachers at the Fifth Annual Recognition of Outstanding Early Career Educators and Pre-Service Educator Mentors award ceremony. Both educators were honored guests at the awards reception sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Meemic Foundation at the Monona Terrace Community and Conference Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday, April 8.
Erin Steuerwald, a Watertown School District Elementary Physical Education teacher, was recognized for her excellence as an early career educator. Brian Ambrosius, a sixth grade Social Studies teacher at Beaver Dam Middle School, was recognized for his outstanding work with pre-service teachers.
About Erin Steuerwald
Steuerwald is in her third year of teaching Physical Education at two elementary schools in the Watertown Unified School District. She distinguishes herself in the district as a competent, driven and reputable educator.
In the classroom, Steuerwald creates unique learning environments for the students as noted by Emily Lessner, principal at Douglas Elementary School: “Erin is dedicated to providing students with a well-rounded, purposeful experience in physical education. She focuses on teaching students skills and applying these skills in an engaging way. Within one physical education class, Erin’s students learn and practice a variety of skills. Erin reflects on student learning, modeling and providing feedback to students to promote growth. We are thrilled to have Erin on the physical education team in the Watertown Unified School District.”
For extra-curricular activities, Steuerwald uses her time throughout the school year building relationships with the students in grades 7-12 in these various aspects:
- 7th Grade Head Volleyball Coach at Riverside Middle School (1 year)
- Varsity Head Volleyball Coach at Dodgeland High School (1 year)
- Varsity Assistant Volleyball Coach at Watertown High School (1 year)
- Freshman Team Head Basketball Coach at Watertown High School (2 years)
- Varsity Assistant Basketball Coach at Watertown High School (3 years)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach at Riverside Middle School (2 years)
- mentor for Girls on the Run in Watertown (1 year)
The extent of Steuerwald’s outreach has allowed her to form unique relationships with many students and to share her philosophy about building a life of character.
About Brian Ambrosius
Sixth grade teacher Brian Ambrosius has mentored multiple student teachers from Maranatha Baptist University over the past 18 years. His ability to inspire and mentor pre-service teachers in an engaging and professional manner has been a blessing to all of his mentees. He excels at identifying strengths and weaknesses while communicating each in an encouraging manner. He models strong classroom management, appropriate student connections and engaging ways of delivering content. Thanks to his mentoring in and beyond the classroom setting, Ambrosius’s student teachers progress well, finish strong and often keep in contact with him after student teaching.
About WACTE
This is the fifth year that the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE) has sponsored the Early Career and Pre-Service Educator Awards. The awards ceremony continues to grow each year, with over 200 people attending last year. This year, 59 teachers from 30 different institutions of higher education across the state were honored for their professional excellence. The keynote speaker this year was Matthew W. Miller, Sr., the 2018 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. The Meemic Foundation sponsors the awards ceremony as well as the keynote speaker.
WACTE is a professional organization composed of the Wisconsin institutions that prepare students for initial teacher licensure. Our educator preparation programs offer diversity in size, focus and delivery, but are all designed to prepare quality teachers for Wisconsin’s schools. WACTE is an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).