Schnell, who graduated in 2006 with a bachelor?s degree in elementary education, teaches fifth grade at Eisenhower Elementary School, USD 428, in Great Bend.
?I feel honored, humbled and surprised to receive this award,? Schnell said. ?It was very much unexpected.?
Schnell, who hails from Omaha, Neb., said the education she received at Tabor College prepared her well for her first year of teaching.
?I think one of the best things the education program does is to get future educators into the classroom as soon as possible,? she said.
?The practicums and lessons seemed very tedious, but they helped prepare me for the responsibility of my own classroom,? Schnell added.
?The relationships I built with my professors were another thing that really helped. There was constant feedback about how to improve.?
