Each year, four Vanderburgh County educators are recognized for their love of teaching and commitment to local students.

The Outstanding Educators of the Year awards are sponsored by Liberty Federal Credit Union, the Courier & Press and the University of Evansville. In their 33rd year, the awards honor the dedication and contributions of Vanderburgh County K-12 educators at public and nonpublic schools that have at least three years in the profession.

Awards are given in four categories: elementary school, middle school, high school and principal. Winners will be announced in April.

Meet this year's high school finalists for Outstanding Educator of the Year.

Amber Marquart Hale, Reitz High School

How many years have you been an educator?

I have been an educator for 24 years.

What was your background in education before starting your current role?

I have spent all my years in education with the amazing people at F.J. Reitz High School on the Westside of Evansville. But, before I started here I did hold a few jobs that I believe helped to mold me into the person and teacher I am today. I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken, WalMart and Easter Seals. At these jobs, I learned the value of hard work, teamwork, multitasking and making decisions in a fast-paced environment.

What made you decide you wanted to be an educator?

When I was in second grade my science teacher, Ms. Anderson was cleaning out her school closets and gave me an old teacher's copy of a science textbook. That summer, I played school with my family, neighborhood friends, and my dolls. I was out in my yard and in the drainage creek by my house, looking at bugs, trees, and leaves. I later went on to win a science award in sixth grade, so it is fitting that I got to teach STEAM in elementary summer school. I loved reconnecting with the subject that made me want to become a teacher.

What are the challenges you face in education today? And how do you overcome them?

I find the principal challenge in teaching today is finding the strength and courage to evolve and adapt to new practices. The field of education, young people, and the way they learn is changing and progressing. We, as educators, must be strong enough, and smart enough to adapt to their needs. This is a difficult challenge to overcome. Change is hard and it only gets more difficult the older we get. The trick is to maintain and forge a balance between old and new teaching practices because there is value in both. I like to try to stay inventive and curious. I may be a veteran teacher, but I am still one of the hardest workers in the room. I teach a government and economics dual college credit class for seniors, a credit recovery class for U.S. History for freshmen through seniors, I tutor after school at a middle school in math and reading, and I teach an afternoon enrichment at the elementary level in summer school. Doing all of this helps me to learn and try new teaching techniques, meet other educators, and learn new things from them. I try to stay humble because we are all still learners.

What’s your favorite thing about being an educator?

I am sure every teacher will tell you it is their students and this would be absolutely true! We draw so much energy from these young people. I learn so much from them too! I always say that they keep me young. I really enjoy spending my days with young people and I hope they one day remember all the teachers that cared about them. One of the best pieces of teaching advice I received was “The most important thing a student will leave your classroom with is their ego.” I believe students know who genuinely cares about them. If they know you care, they will “buy in” to you, your subject, and your classroom. This helps to create positive relationships, environments and so much more. I am known for saying silly phrases and telling silly jokes. Even the kids with the toughest shells around them soften up because they know I am 100% genuine. I believe it is important for these young people to know someone cares about them and is in their corner.

What makes you unique in your field?

This is not an easy question and there is no easy answer. The truth is, I might not be that unique. There are so many talented and inspiring educators out there and I know this because I work with so many of them! I think that my humble background of growing up in a small town where I had to work hard for everything I have ever earned has helped me become the teacher that I am today. I have so much respect for hard work and not cutting corners. I believe you should be honest, be kind to people, and show grace when possible. I try to model this in my classroom and in my life. I want my students to see me do these things and know that I am always trying to be the very best version of myself. I think that is an extraordinary legacy to model for them as they go out into the world and start their lives.

Jon Schrage, Early College High School

How many years have you been an educator?

I have been teaching full-time since 1999, with four years as a teaching assistant at Purdue before that.

What was your background in education before starting your current role?

I earned a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from Purdue in 1998. Prior to starting at Early College High School in 2018, I taught at Creighton University for 16 years in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. I taught classes in meteorology, climatology, environmental science, computer programming, wind power and solar power. I have also taught at Valparaiso University, Purdue University, and the University of Cologne in Germany.

What made you decide you wanted to be an educator?

I went to college and graduate school to be a scientist, and I eventually got a job as a professor. Being a professor is a complicated job, balancing research goals and professional development with teaching. I loved the research parts of the career, but I also was surprised to discover that I really enjoyed and valued the teaching aspects. When my family moved to Indiana and the job at Creighton ended, I decided to transition to full-time teaching at the high school level.

What are the challenges you face in education today? And how do you overcome them?

High school students today don’t understand how much more “divided” their time and attention are compared to earlier generations. They sincerely think that they can “multitask” with their phones and their headphones and their laptops all while also doing homework or listening to a lecture or whatever– to them, it is normal. But that’s not how brains work. It’s a constant struggle to work to get the students to “unplug” and focus on a task, to prioritize school, and to plan for the future.

What’s your favorite thing about being an educator?

I love a “creative challenge”, and I get to come up with creative challenges every day. Maybe I think that we need to develop a new lab activity in Earth Science. Maybe I want to create new 3D visualizations of a method used in Calculus. Maybe I want to try a new assessment technique in Trig, or create new types of problems to post on my math website. My job is a privilege in that I get to try all of these things with a room full of bright young people.

What makes you unique in your field?

I have followed an uncommon career path and accumulated an unusual set of skills, but that allows me to bring very different perspectives to education. In my classes, we learn fundamental skills and knowledge about math and science, and I have worked in science for much of my adult life. I can tell the students about how we used these formulas when we were designing meteorological sensors for an experiment, or how this information was needed when we made some discovery. I can tell them about jobs my former students found.

Sally Sternburg, Harrison High School

How many years have you been an educator?

This is my 24th year as an educator.

What was your background in education before starting your current role?

My educational background has encompassed a variety of roles in both the public and non-public sectors. My current teaching position at Harrison High School, is in a way, a full circle moment as I began my career teaching mathematics in January of 2000 in these same halls. Staffing needs dictated a move to Bosse High School the following year, and I remained there until I married, moved, and joined the faculty of Southridge High School. The next 12 years were shaped by my administrative roles within the Diocese of Evansville Catholic Schools as both Principal and Associate Superintendent. The full circle move back to Harrison, as the AVID Elective Instructor and Site Coordinator, these past two years has been one of the most rewarding positions in my educational career.

What made you decide you wanted to be an educator?

Actually, in college, I initially wanted to pursue a career in actuarial science. However, the reality of sitting behind a computer screen all day and limited interactions with others didn’t exactly excite me. With a semester away at Harlaxton College and time to reflect, I discovered that I could marry my desire to study math with the love I had for coaching gymnastics in the world of education. Once I transitioned my major to secondary education and had my first practicums in the school setting, I knew I had found my vocation.

What are the challenges you face in education today? And how do you overcome them?

Students today have so many obstacles to overcome, and these challenges impact their ability to learn in the classroom. I know students who struggle from the pressures to achieve perfect grades. I know students who go to school all day and then come home to be the primary caregiver for their siblings, putting their schoolwork off until everyone else is cared for. And, I know students who face the daily uncertainty of where they will lay their head down that evening. School is both a hardship and a way towards a better future, thus my role as cheerleader, encourager, listener, resource finder, advocate, and avid mom.

What’s your favorite thing about being an educator?

Hands down, it is the moment when one of my students simply cannot contain their excitement over something they have achieved. Seeing the light in their eyes, and sometimes the disbelief that they faced a difficult task and managed not only to complete it, but to excel in it, makes me smile. Those moments are often turning points in students’ self-confidence and in knowing their own worth and value.

What makes you unique in your field?

Unapologetically, I am 110% about what is right for students. At the core of who I am as an educator is always the question, “What is it that my students need?” and the desire to provide just that. I continually advocate for my students, even when that means dreaming big and not settling for “that’s how it has always been done” but rather asking “How can we make this happen?” Our students deserve to be provided with the best opportunities as we prepare them for life through this ever-changing educational landscape.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Outstanding Educator of the Year: Here are the 3 high school finalists