2022 Ohio Teacher of the Year: "I will continue to teach the truth"

<p><strong>Featured Education Matters guest: </strong></p><ul><li>Kurt Russell, Ohio Teacher of the Year<ul> <li>Kurt Russell is a veteran teacher at Oberlin High School in the Oberlin City Schools district who believes education can transform students’ lives. For the past twenty-five years, Russell has included cultural relevance in the curriculum for the 9th-12th grade classes he teaches: African American history, US history, IB history of the Americas, and Race, Gender, and Oppression. Russell received the teacher of the year awards from the Oberlin Heritage Center (2009) and the Oberlin Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (2019). In addition to teaching history classes, Russell also serves as a lead teacher at Oberlin High School and advisor for the Black Student Union, Student Council, and Junior Class. Since 1996 Russell has coached basketball for Oberlin City Schools. As the head coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, he has received numerous awards, including the Lorain County Basketball Association’s Coach of the Year and the Northeast Ohio Coach of the Year. </li> <li>Russell decided to become a teacher when he was in middle school. He was inspired by his math teacher, who was the first Black male teacher he had in school, and enjoyed learning about history. Russell received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and minor in black studies at The College of Wooster. He obtained a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University and continues to take courses in child development at Oakland City University.</li> </ul> </li></ul><p><strong>Featured School Board Candidate:</strong></p><ul><li>Maggie Cook - Running for Mentor Board of Education<ul> <li>Currently works as a Speech and Language Pathologist for Chardon Schools.</li> <li>Maggie Cook has lived in the Mentor School district for the past twenty years. She and her husband, Brian, chose Mentor Schools for their two daughters. Sophomore, Hallie, and seventh-grader