EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – Our Golden Apple Award tour takes us to Manz Elementary School to honor a third grade teacher who is dedicated to preparing her students to be lifelong learners. Principal Adam Keeton says Kelsey Maki navigates the always fluid nature of teaching with grace and patience and is loved for her care and empathy in the classroom.
“I’ve seen my mentors in the school win the Golden Apple Award like Deb Erickson and Sue Pisani and for me to win this award, it kind of feels unreal. It feels like I’m becoming a professional teacher and really finding my place as an educator. We totally have a lot of fun in third grade, we have a really good community in our classroom so it was really sweet that they were so happy for me,” says Kelsey Maki.
Keeton adding that Kelsey is a young teacher with a very bright future.
“From the student perspective she cares deeply about kids, she fosters really strong relationships with every student, she knows them personally, she knows what makes them tick, what works for them academically, social and emotionally. And from the teacher, professional side of things, she is a team player, a big believer of collaboration and she meshes the art and science of teaching together perfectly and to be honest as a younger teacher in our community she has tons of promise but she’s already you know already on her way to becoming a masterful teacher,” says Keeton.
Kelsey Maki and Manz will split $1.000 in grant funding from the Eau Claire Public Schools Foundation. Her third graders would like to have some new chairs in the classroom while Kelsey hopes to add more books to build her library.
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