Rogers Elementary's Julia St. Louis receives Excellence in Teaching Award
Posted on 11/09/2020
Julia St. Louis, a first grade teacher at Rogers Elementary School, is Mehlville School District’s Emerson Excellence in Teaching award recipient for the 2020-2021 school year.
After graduating from Mehlville High School, St. Louis enrolled at Mizzou where she initially majored in engineering. She had always enjoyed working with children through tutoring and summer camp programs, so after a year, she switched her major to education.
“I like learning from the students,” St. Louis said. “I grow every single day with them, and every day is different. We have fun and laugh. They always keep things interesting.”
St. Louis spent a year teaching in another district before she was hired at Rogers Elementary, where she has taught for the past five years.
“She is highly motivated to be the best version of herself every day,” Dr. Patrick Keenoy, Rogers Elementary principal, said. “That carries over to her students having relevant, meaningful lessons each day in a joyful learning community.”
Those meaningful lessons are something she strives to create because of her own experiences growing up in Mehlville School District.
“The things I remember about school are the things that were fun, different and exciting,” St. Louis said. “I want to give my kids those experiences and for school to be a fun, positive place where they get to be themselves.”
St. Louis was integral in the district’s transition to virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She led virtual professional development training for teachers in the spring and throughout the summer to help them prepare to begin the new school year in a connected format.
“Ms. St. Louis saw that there was a need for doing connected learning the right way, and she stepped in and took on leadership responsibilities on her own accord,” Dr. Keenoy said.
St. Louis is reaching students beyond Mehlville School District this year through her work with Nine Network’s Teaching in Room 9 series where she leads televised lessons for third-grade students.
“She is a wonderful representative of our community and our school district,” said Dr. Brian Smith, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning. “We couldn’t be more excited for her to receive this award.”
Emerson recognizes educators from across the St. Louis-area each year with the Excellence in Teaching Award. Each school in the district nominates one teacher for the award, then a representative from the district is selected. Receiving the award also qualifies St. Louis to apply for additional grants.
Watch the video to hear students share their experience in Ms. St. Louis’s class.