By Angie Talken
01 08 2020 CT

During a staff event on January 6, 2020, recognizing members of the Chillicothe R-II school staff, Jenny Hughes was named the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year, and Evet Meierer was named Beacon Award winner.

During the annual staff appreciation event staff with 5, 20, 15, 20 and 25 years of service were also honored. Hughes and Meierer were named winners followed by biographies of each of their fellow nominees as read by Superintendent Dan Wiebers.

Hughes, a 9-12 grade business teacher at Grand River Technical School, said in an essay after she was nominated that, "As a business teacher preparing my students for their future is always my goal. I work hard to be a positive, encouraging influence on their lives."

Meierer, a custodian at Chillicothe High School, was nominated by CHS Principal and Athletic Director Dan Nagel. In his nomination form, Nagle said Meierer takes a great deal of pride in her work, "That is almost unheard of today," he added. "She is a beacon of light guiding the way in many areas in our district."

Nominees for Teacher of the Year included Tracy Miller, Field School; Libby Howe, Dewey School; Stephanie Baldwin, Chillicothe Middle School; Nancy Thorne, Chillicothe High School; and Hughes, Grand River Tech.