By Brenna Eller
McPHERSON, Kan. — Ad Astra Radio, along with community partners, is proud to announce McPherson Middle School 6th and 7th grade science teacher Angela Kahle as the December 2024 Classroom Hero presented by Peoples Bank and Trust.
Each month, Ad Astra Radio randomly selects a different educator from community nominations to receive the Classroom Hero Award, along with a “Thank You” gift basket. Gift items are courtesy of community partners, including Peoples Bank and Trust, Midway Motors and Stutzman’s Greenhouse.
This is Mrs. Kahle’s first year as science teacher at McPherson Middle School. Last year she was a substitute for orchestra.
Mrs. Kahle shared that the orchestra teacher at the school had left a week before school started. Kahle’s husband was an orchestra teacher ten years ago, so that experience helped her with the position.
Although she and her husband have lived in McPherson for about 17 years, Kahle grew up in Emporia, and graduated from Emporia High School. She earned her teaching degree from Emporia State University. Kahle and her husband moved to McPherson when their first daughter was three-months old.
“I’ve had my teaching degree for over twenty years but decided to stay home with my six kids,” Kahle said.
Now that her kids are all older, Kahle decided to get back into the teaching world.
Since her teaching degree is in Elementary Education, she first applied at an elementary school. But it was MMS Principal Inge Esping, who Kahle said gave her the shot to teach again.
“They’ve been very welcoming,” Kahle said, referring to everyone at the middle school.
Mrs. Kahle’s teaching style is hands-on, and she likes most that she can relate science “to life” for the students.
She also enjoys her job because she gets to combine another passion of hers, which is baking.
“That’s why my room is covered in sweets,” Kahle said. “I’ve been trying to get the kids to relate things to how you can use it in everyday life and made some of them very happy by bringing in some baked goods.”
One example Mrs. Kahle shared was teaching the students about pressure by cooking pumpkin in pressure cookers.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” Kahle said. “To let them [the students] see things, get grossed out by it, and also get excited about science.”
In a nomination for Mrs. Kahle, she was described as “very fun and very efficient.” The nominator also said she was “the best orchestra teacher ever!”
Another nominator shared that Mrs. Kahle works very hard helping students understand scientific concepts.
The Classroom Hero Award seeks to highlight the hard work and dedication of those on the front lines in our local schools. Nominations are continually being accepted at https://www.adastraradio.com/classroom-hero.
Ad Astra Radio has been locally owned and operated since 1986 and is proud to be your hometown radio station.
