January Jan Dils Golden Apple Award winner - Tracy Varner

BELPRE, Ohio (WTAP) - Belpre Elementary 4th grade ELA teacher Tracy Varner walked into the school cafeteria Monday morning shocked to hear that she was the Jan Dils Golden Apple Award recipient for January.

Varner, a Belpre native, has taught at Belpre Elementary School for all 27 years of her teaching career.

She was recognized for her efforts beyond the classroom as she regularly attends her students’ sporting events, takes a shortened lunch to help students with essays and makes sure that she is readily available to answer any and all questions that parents may have during all hours of the day.

Even when school was shut down and stay-at-home orders were in place during the pandemic, Varner rode the bus to deliver food to students.

She makes sure that academics are a priority when it comes to teaching, but Varner recognizes that her connection with students is just as meaningful.

“Obviously knowing the content and the standards that you have to teach are important,” Varner said. “But more than anything, the longer that I’ve been here, I’ve realized that it’s the relationships that you build with your students that mean the most.”

If you have an educator you would like to nominate for the award, visit the Jan Dils Golden Apple section of WTAP.com.

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