Warwood Middle School Math Teachers Have the Right Formula

Recent Honors Celebrated During Surprise Assembly

Joselyn King

Warwood Middle School students are "100% sure" their math teachers are among the best in West Virginia.

On Wednesday, seventh grade math teacher Ellen Nau was recognized as the "Middle School Math Teacher of the Year" as awarded by the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Also, sixth grade math teacher Annie Vopal received her award after recently being named "2023 Unit Design Collaborative Star" by the Southern Regional Education Board.

The teachers knew they had won awards recently, but they did not know they would be presented with them during an impromptu school assembly Tuesday afternoon in the school's gymnasium with their students present.

Jacob Breitinger, a seventh grade student, credited both teachers with giving him a love for math that he will carry into the future.

"They definitely helped 100% with my progress in math," Breitinger said. "I love math, and they are a big contributor to that. They don't just give you a packet (and expect a student to learn)."

And Breitinger expects to take his math learning into a profession someday that involves math.

"(It will happen) 100%," he continued. "Math is 100% everywhere. If I am going to be an accountant, or do anything with science, I am going to have to know how to do math -- 100%."

Breitinger is also "100%" certain he won't forget Nau or Vopal.

"They are the most memorable teachers I've had. I don't think I could forget them if I tried," he added.

Nau was told of the words Breitinger said of her and Vopal.

"It makes me feel fantastic, because that's why I became a teacher," Nau said. "I wanted to make mathematics fun and accessible to everyone."

Nau said math teachers aren't even aware when they are nominated for math teacher of the year awards, and that she learned of her honor only after it was announced at the West Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics recent banquet.

"My students are working very hard for me, and I'm pushing them very hard," she said. "I do try to respect my students, and I try to build a relationship with them.

"I am very structured, and I push them. I expect a lot from them. I tell them, 'You're the best. Let's prove it.'"

Vopal explained she received her award for her efforts working with other math teachers throughout the state to design math units of instruction "that will help students be successful in the math classroom."

"It's an honor to be recognized," she said. "All the teachers I work with -- we've all put in a lot of effort to find good activities for our students."

Vopal also was touched by her student Breitinger's words.

"That's why I got into teaching was to encourage students to be successful in the future," she said. "It's really nice to hear the impact that you have."

Principal Joey Subasic said it was an honor to have Nau and Vopal at the school. He noted practice tests for this year's General Summative Assessment show Warwood seventh grade math students trending with the highest scores in Ohio County.

Those are students currently taught by Nau who were taught by Vopal in sixth grade, he noted.

"We're looking to continuously improve in the area of mathematics at The Warwood School, and having dedicated math teachers leading our students is going to have positive results," Subasic said.