Murphy Elementary School special education teacher Staci Venatta has been named this year’s Northwest R-1 School District Teacher of the Year.
District administrators, family and friends gathered Feb. 2 to deliver the news to Venatta in her classroom with a flower bouquet and balloons.
“It was such a great surprise, walking in and seeing my entire family, including my parents who drove from Illinois, my husband and three sons, and my son’s girlfriend. They were all there to surprise me,” Venatta said. “It was such a great feeling to be recognized for such an amazing award.”
Every year, Northwest selects one teacher who best showcases enthusiasm, knowledge, and strong communication and educational skills for the Teacher of the Year award.
A few weeks ago, the district announced the elementary, middle and high school teachers of the year. Then, the district teacher of the year is selected from that pool.
“If you were to have the opportunity to see Mrs. Venatta interact with her students, you would immediately understand why she was recommended and selected for this award,” said Grace Green, assistant superintendent of elementary education. “As a special education teacher, she brings her contagious enthusiasm and smile to her everyday instruction. She brings learning to life and often greets visitors with her famous quote, “Hey, party people!”
The Middle School Teacher of the Year is Valley Middle School social studies teacher Jake Buddemeyer, and the High School Teacher of the Year is English and language arts teacher Kate Hermann.
The district also recognizes exemplary support staff and community who show “excellent character, performance and service to the district,” according to Northwest’s website.
The Golden Bell Award went to Jen Barr, a custodian at the Northwest Administrative Center, Barb Kruse, an administrative assistant at Valley Middle School and Valerie Soer, a paraprofessional at the Northwest Early Childhood Center.
The district’s PRIDE Award, given to Deputy Andrew Dennis with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, recognizes community members who go above and beyond to make an impact in the district.
“It makes my heart so happy that people recognize how much I truly love my job, how much I love my students, and my co-workers,” Venatta said. “My students were so excited. One of my students actually had tears in his eyes. They all ran in and gave me a big hug.”
Venatta of Fenton started in the district in 2012 as a substitute teacher and has worked as a special education teacher at Murphy Elementary for the past five years.
“What I really focus on is building (students’) confidence,” Venatta said. “If they have confidence in themselves, then they can do whatever they want in life. I do that on a daily basis, just making sure they know how much I believe in them and pushing them to be the best version of themselves.”
Venatta said she’s proud of the strong relationships she has with her students – even attending a few of her student’s after-school sporting events to show support. She said coming to school with a positive attitude is important, and it starts right when she enters the door.
“(The catchphrase) came naturally about three years ago,” Mrs. Venatta said. “It’s how we start each day – I come in and say, ‘Heeey, party people!’ Then they say, ‘Heeey, Mrs. Venatta!’ It shows what kind of community we’ve built together and how strong our relationships are. We’re one big happy family.”
She and her husband, Jamie, have three sons who all have attended or currently attend Northwest R-1 schools. Brayden, 24, graduated from Northwest High in 2018. Colten, 22, graduated from Northwest in 2020, and Jackson, 17, is a junior at the high school.
“I’m very proud to have my own children go to Northwest as well as serve as a teacher in the district,” Vanetta said. “Northwest represents a system for learning and a community that I love to be a part of.”