Berkley High School's Angela Church Wins Oakland County Teacher of the Year Award

Berkley High School educator Angela Church received the 2013 Oakland County Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year Award during a surprise visit to her classroom Tuesday.

A crowd of students, administrators and Oakland Schools representatives burst in the door of Church's ninth grade United States history class with a colorful bunch of balloons and a check for $2,000 to inform her of the honor.

"This is very cool. Thank you all for coming," said Church, smiling ear-to-ear. "This is the most famous I've ever felt."

The 37-year-old Berkley resident was among 18 nominees for the Oakland Schools recognition, which is given each year to a teacher who excels in the following areas.

• Engaging students.
• Meeting students' individual needs.
• Demonstrating knowledge of a subject area.
• Demonstrating classroom management.
• Relating to parents and colleagues.
• Demonstrating good citizenship and leadership in the school community.
• Support statements from colleagues, parents and students.

"Mrs. Church is a fantastic teacher, cares an incredible amount about students and goes out of her way to help them, whether it's with homework or other issues," Berkley School District Superintendent Dennis McDavid said.

"She's seen as a model teacher, a model colleague and is a loved by students, parents and the whole school community," he added. "As good as she is a teacher, she's a better person."

[Stay tuned to Huntington Woods-Berkley Patch for more details.]