Eric Vacek
Kahoa Elementary School
7th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Nominated By: Principal Mandy Nickolite-Greene
It is an honor to nominate Eric Vacek for Kahoa’s Inspire Award. Eric has gone above and beyond in his role as a PE teacher for the past 13 years. He brings out the best in his students, not just in teaching them the skills needed for physical education, but also skills of strong character. Students learn sportsmanship, compassion, fairness...all skills that they'll need throughout their lives. As Eric serves in his role as a PE teacher he takes time to build a relationship with all 479 Kahoa students. He makes each of these students feel welcome and cared for when he is in their presence.
Eric is also mindful of what students are learning in the classroom and incorporates classroom curriculum into what he's teaching. One of Eric’s goals this school year is to have students practice their reading fluency skills while in PE.
Beyond the classroom, Eric has spent many hours of his personal time over the years coordinating a field day experience for Kahoa students at the end of the school year. He has arrived at school as early as 2 am to set things up to make field day a success for everyone. In addition, Eric coordinates a Color Run for the Kahoa community that had approximately 600 participants last year. He continues to volunteer and encourage students to participate in community events such as the Pumpkin Run, Mayors Run and Punt, Pass and Kick. While at those events he is cheering on every student that is participating making them feel like they are the most important person to him at that moment.
Additionally, Eric takes time to teach students the playground expectations and how to play many of the games students engage in at recess. This in turn makes the lives of the rest of the adult Kahoa community easier when we are supervising our students in this area. It also keeps students safe when they are on the playground.
When we have indoor recess, Eric doesn’t hesitate to set up the gym at a moment's notice to accommodate the need for students to get some extra movement over the lunch hour in a controlled, yet fun environment.
The many examples mentioned show how passionate Eric is for students and also displays great leadership for his colleagues. Eric’s positive attitude and willingness to support the Kahoa community has a significant impact on the positive climate and culture at Kahoa. Thank you Mr. Vacek for inspiring not only the Kahoa students but also the adults to always be thinking about how we can better ourselves both physically and mentally.
