Editor’s Note: Taking the Time to Celebrate Teachers

Editor’s note: About two weeks after the Summer 2022 issue came out, we announced that this issue would be Columbus Parent’s last as a standalone publication. You can now find Parent content in its own quarterly section in our sister publication Columbus Monthly. While I’m sad to see the magazine come to an end after editing it for more than six years, I’m happy the brand will live on and continue to serve Central Ohio parents, grandparents and other caregivers.

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One of my favorite parts about editing Columbus Parent is the chance to celebrate Central Ohio teachers. In fact, it’s probably my top choice.

Each year, the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of Central Ohio’s outstanding educators is a highlight for all of us at the magazine. Our annual Teachers of the Year awards recognize a select group of finalists and three winners, but these honorees are representative of hundreds, if not thousands, of top-quality instructors who show up each day in classrooms across our region.

We’re delighted to again partner with ThisWeek Community News for the 2022 Teachers of the Year awards, which represents the ninth year for this important recognition program.

This is the seventh group of winners I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with, and each year, the caliber of the nominations we receive continues to impress me. For 2022, we had a record 237 submissions, and I enjoyed reading every one of them.

Two of the schools where this year’s winners teach invited us to surprise their teachers and present their awards in person. It was a lot of fun, and we think the students enjoyed it even more than we did!

Personally, I enjoyed the chance to meet all three of our winners and congratulate them in person—something we haven’t been able to do since the pandemic began.

I hope you take the chance to read about this year’s winners, and if you have a teacher in your life who goes above and beyond to help students, be sure to say thanks.

Elsewhere in the issue, you’ll find lots of stories focused on helping your family find summer fun. From arts ideas to our “Fun & Sun” feature to a roundup of free splash pads and spraygrounds, there are loads of options to keep your crew on the move. Be sure to hang onto it for easy reference throughout the season. If you’re lucky, the words “I’m bored” will never be spoken in your home.

Thanks for reading!

This story is from the Summer 2022 issue of Columbus Parent.