Congratulation to Mr. Boerman | National Amazing Teacher of the Month!
HMS STEM teacher Bill Boerman has been named a National Amazing Teacher of the Month by Gannett Publications. Holland Middle School will receive $5,000 and Mr. Boerman will be a candidate for the National Amazing Teacher of the Year award in May!
Boerman teaches STEM to seventh graders, who are currently learning variables and Newton’s laws by making and launching straw rockets, as well as designing their own miniature rooms. He also teaches an advanced STEM class to eighth-graders, who are currently manning the greenhouse.
“Sometimes in teaching, you just do your thing, and don’t always realize if people recognize it or not, so it’s a nice surprise; it’s very encouraging,” Boerman said.
The former student who nominated Boerman said, “He provided the school and community with a greenhouse which his students built and manage. I admire his raw passion for teaching and his determination to help students learn and become the best people they can be.”
Boerman helped raise roughly $60,000 in donations to provide the 40-by-24 -foot greenhouse – where students are cultivating 14 different seed beds – and a mobile kitchen where they’re creating their own food items.
“Just being able to provide opportunities for them that they may not normally get in their day-to-day realm is really what inspires me,” Boerman said.
A local business recently donated wood that the students will build into a trellis.
“A community that wants to come around to help the next generation is inspiring to me as well,” Boerman said.
Last year, 600 pounds of produce were harvested and donated to a local food bank.
“So, the greenhouse has turned from an educational tool into a community tool, to be able to provide some nourishment for some of our families in need,” Boerman said.