Only a handful of teachers and seniors are chosen each year to receive the very prestigious Community Award. I had the chance to talk to our Staff Community Award winner Mr. Steinmetz along with one of his favorite students — fellow community award winner Murphy Wiginton.
Mr. Steinmetz graduated from Hobart College and then Harvard for Architecture and this is his second year teaching here at Saint Joe as part of our English department. On winning the award says that he was, “shocked and awed, it was awesome!” He says his favorite part of Saint Joe is interacting with students. He particularly enjoys how he can have discussions and work along with them to have fun in his classroom. As Mr. Steinmetz put it, “The students aren’t kids they’re young adults, if you treat them more like adults and with respect they’re more likely to reciprocate and respect you.“
Wiginton also felt similarly to Mr. Steinmetz in winning the award saying, “It felt amazing. Everyone always tries to guess who the person may be and hearing a list that describes you just brings some sort of feeling of accomplishment. I was proud of myself.” A very involved member of the Saint Joe community, including the soccer team and student government, Wiginton says his biggest accomplishment is his photography work and brand, “Taking my love for photography and videography, becoming involved with the school and turning it into a career.”
Meg Baxter was also recognized for her outstanding contributions to our community. A leader on both the soccer and cross country teams, Baxter has pulled off the grueling double each fall by participating in two sports simultaneously. This fall Baxter was recognized as the MVP for girls soccer in the Northern Indiana Conference and earned a place on the All State first team as well.
It’s truly inspiring to hear from these Community Award winners and there’s always something to learn from those who we can look up to and recognize as model examples of our community. As for advice, Mr. Steinmetz says, “Do your readings!
