Mrs. Elizabeth Weizer, an English teacher at North Penn High School was recently selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award.
The Claes Nobel award is part of the National Society of High School Scholars, a society that recognizes top academic excellence among high school students. The organization was set up to connect young scholars with each other and to provide additional resources to help them succeed in scholarships, leadership, and service. Student members of NSHSS have the opportunity to nominate a teacher who has made an impact in their life or academic career.
“It was a real surprise to me; I had no idea that I had won it. One of my former students Arnold Adu-Darko, who I had last year, nominated me because he is a member of this society so I got a letter in the mail with this whole packet and certificate telling me that I had been nominated as an educator that made a difference in his life so that was really cool. And because it’s part of the Nobel family, the people who do the Nobel Prizes, I mean clearly I didn’t win a Nobel Prize but it’s cool to say that it’s part of that family” explained Weizer.
Weizer sees this honor as one of the bright moments in her career to this point.
“I would say getting the nominated for the Claes Nobel award is one of the highlights of my teaching career. It’s the first time I have ever gotten anything like this; you know you have students who come back and say you were a really big influence on my life or they contact you saying: I’m sorry I failed your class but I really did learn a lot. It’s really cool to actually get recognition. Arnold, the student who nominated me, is a really phenomenal kid. He really is a student who understands the importance of education and never took it for granted so to see him also be successful is really wonderful too.”
North Penn principal Mr. Burt Hynes was not only pleased to see Weizer win the award, but also sees it as a great honor for the school.
“It’s always an honor when one of our teachers gets recognized. She was nominated for the award by a former student and it recognizes excellence in teaching and overall excellence, and I’m always pleased to see when our students recognize that they have great teachers and they feel so motivated to nominate one of their teachers for the Nobel award.”
Weizer explained that the greatest value is not just in the award itself but rather in seeing the accomplishments of her students after they leave her classroom.
“You just go in everyday, and you do the best that you can, and it’s not about getting the award, it’s about knowing that the kids that sit in your class room actually make a difference when you teach them” explained Weizer.