By Brenna Eller
McPHERSON, Kan. — Ad Astra Radio is proud to announce Nicholas (Nick) Griggs, Vocal Music teacher at McPherson High School as the most recent recipient of the Classroom Hero Award presented by Peoples Bank and Trust.
Each month, Ad Astra Radio randomly selects a different educator, from community nominations, to receive the Classroom Hero Award, along with a “Thank You” gift basket. Gift items are courtesy of community partners, including Peoples Bank and Trust, Midway Motors and Stutzman’s Greenhouse.
Mr. Griggs has been teaching at McPherson High School since 2011.
Griggs started his teaching career at USD 343 Perry-Lecompton.
Two people inspired Mr. Griggs to become a teacher. One was his coach. “He was a great football coach,” Griggs added.
Music also runs in Griggs’ family.
“My mom was my first music teacher,” he said.
Mr. Griggs is originally from Colorado Springs. He came to McPherson College for school and got his master’s degree at Kansas State University.
He shared that his favorite part about teaching is when students achieve a goal they are working toward.
“Whether they feel confident about an all-state audition or a district audition,” Griggs explained. “That’s what sticks for me.”
Multiple nominations were submitted for Mr. Griggs and many anonymously shared reasons why they thought he should be recognized.
One nominator said Mr. Griggs is “a teacher who can make anyone smile.” They also said, “his kindness radiates through the school and his laugh is so recognizable no matter where you are.”
They also gave an example to describe Mr. Griggs’ character. According to the nominator, during a choir class one year, a child had begun to have a seizure and Mr. Griggs acted quickly to protect the kid and all others in the class. He acted quickly and deescalated the situation.
Another nominator wrote that Mr. Griggs responds to his students with a lot of love, even when they push his limits. They added that he also responds, “like Jesus would.”
“So thank you Mr. Griggs, for responding in love and for helping us in choir to get better and helping us grow to be better and just being funny with us,” they said.
The Classroom Hero Award seeks to highlight the hard work and dedication of those on the front lines in our local schools. Nominations are continually being accepted at https://www.adastraradio.com/classroom-hero.
Ad Astra Radio has been locally owned and operated since 1986 and is proud to be your hometown radio station.