Magsig Middle School teacher named district’s 2020 Teacher of the Year

Centerville City Schools recognized a Magsig Middle School teacher as the 2020 Teacher of the Year during a Board of Education meeting Monday evening.

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Kim Cratso, the award recipient, has been teaching English language arts in Centerville for 14 years.

“Middle school students are just young and curious and I love working with them, learning from them and hearing their ideas and creativity,” Crasto said in a written statement. “We work a lot in middle school with character growth, so we get to talk about confidence, problem solving and critical thinking skills are really working toward the future and what they want to do in the world.”

Magsig Principal Stacey Westendorf said what sets Crasto apart is her focus on the learning process, not just the end product.

“We need to make sure students are being reflective in their work, that they’re being taught to self-assess and to peer-assess, and that they have the tenacity to continue to improve,” Westendorf said in a written statement. “In Kim’s classroom, you see the process of the hard work it takes to get to an exemplar product.”

Crasto will represent Centerville City Schools as the district’s finalist for the Ohio Teacher of the Year this spring.