The 2012 Coleen Yatckoske Middle Level Educator of the Year is Kim Campbell. Kim currently teaches 7th grade social studies and is a PBIS coordinator at Hopkins West Junior High.
Describing what makes a great middle level educator, she says, ''It's all about building strong, positive relationships, having high expectations and creating lessons that are relevant, engaging and fun. I feel lucky every day to have chosen education as my lifelong career. There is no place I would rather be than to be working with middle school students."
One of Kim's greatest accomplishments is the creation of an after school program called SOAR, which she designed to address the achievement gap. SOAR is dedicated to providing the necessary support and assistance to make college attendance achievable for all students through mentoring, tutoring, and developing connections with families.
Kim travels the country working with middle school teachers and is also the author of two books, "If You Can't Manage Them, You Can't Teach Them" and "SOAR: A Handbook for Closing the Achievement Gap." MMSA is proud to honor Kim Campbell with this award.