Like many other teachers across the country, Katie Johnson, music teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary and William Penn Elementary schools in the Bethel Park School District, has dealt with a constantly changing curriculum during the covid-19 pandemic.

So, it was very rewarding for her when, on Sept. 3, she became the sixth recipient of the Hilda M. Sundermann Award presented by the National State Teachers of the Year – PA Chapter.

“I was totally surprised and caught off guard by (the award),” Johnson said. “I had no clue that this was coming. I am blessed and lucky to work with the staff and the kids that I do. As I told them during our assembly/big reveal, I don’t go to work and work every day — I go to a job where we play and we learn through playing and action.”

Johnson was originally nominated by Benjamin Franklin Elementary fourth grade teacher K.D. Meucci for the NSTOY-PA Apple Award, which recognizes exemplary educators in Pennsylvania who are making a difference in their schools. She won the Apple Award. A separate committee then considers all elementary certified teachers who are honored with the NSTOY-PA Apple Award during the year for the Hilda M. Sundermann Award.

“I am continually inspired by Mrs. Johnson’s passion for music education,” Meucci wrote in the Apple Award nomination. “She strives to create a welcoming classroom where students are excited and engaged in meaningful learning. The energy in her classroom is contagious. Her ability to connect with her students and her talent for teaching cross-curricular concepts and igniting students’ love for music are both truly superior.”

Hilda M. Sundermann taught in Pittsburgh Public Schools, and her husband, along with members of the NSTOY-PA, founded the award in her name to honor teachers that embodied the same spirit and love of teaching elementary students that characterized her remarkable career. Sundermann passed away in 2015; the award was first presented in 2017.

“It was a tremendous honor to be recognized for the work that I do — upheaving everything I do and taking it hands-on from the classroom to hands-on in your kitchen,” Johnson said of winning the award during the pandemic. “It turned into a great life lesson for the kids that music is all around them.”

Johnson uses her music class to teach more than just music. According to a news release from the district, “she uses music to teach vibrations and sound science with rubber bands and water-filled glasses. She encourages students to build their own instruments using their knowledge of how sound travels. She chooses historical songs, specifically about the Underground Railroad and the War of 1812. She teaches with music ranging from Native Americans to the instrumentals of ‘Star Wars’ to reach all learners and build connections.”

“I really made an effort last year to try and tie in different cultures and different traditions and give the kids exposure to that,” Johnson said. “(Last year) is really going to influence how I go forward and what I teach this year. I’m upheaving it all again and trying to take all those fantastic little bits and pieces all together into lessons that can be used in the classroom now.”

Johnson received a certificate and a check for $500 to use for her classroom or as startup money for an educational project. Johnson isn’t the first Bethel Park area school teacher to win the award. Abraham Lincoln Elementary School teacher Rose DeGregorio won the honor in 2019, also being nominated by Meucci.

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