Fort Rotary Club names Rodenbeck Educator of the Month 

The Fort Atkinson Rotary Club has named St. Joseph Catholic School teacher Kristi Rodenbeck as its Educator of the Month.

According to information released by the club, Rodenbeck was recognized as the recipient of the title on Monday.

According to Margaret Bare, serving as club spokesperson, the organization prior to the COVID-19 pandemic had traditionally named an educator for the monthly honor on the first Monday of each month, which, she said, is when the club meets.

The practice was paused in 2020, Bare said, noting that Rodenbeck is the first teacher to receive the honor since its resumption this month.

“The Rotary Club of Fort Atkinson is excited to bring back the tradition of honoring an educator at their meetings once a month. Rotary’s objective is to advance the Rotary Club’s commitment to education by honoring an educator each month from a public or private school in Fort Atkinson,” information released by the club stated.

As part of Monday’s recognition, St. Joseph Catholic School Principal Kari Homb, describing Rodenbeck, said that the teacher had made a “profound impact” on her school, parish, and Fort Atkinson as a whole.

Said Homb: “I have the great fortune of working with and supervising Kristi as the Middle School religion and social studies teacher for the past seven years. She is not only an interactive, hands-on teacher, she is a true motivator, collaborator, and supportive leader that demonstrates this on every aspect of our St. Joseph Catholic School initiatives. Kristi is extremely knowledgeable, a collaborative colleague, and continually contributes her ideas, energy and experience through her interactions with students, parents and staff.”

Over the more than eight years she has served at the school, Homb said Rodenbeck had worked with a “wide range” of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students, as they pursued a “variety of interests,” both academic and social.

“As she prepares her lessons, she incorporates higher order thinking skills, interactive hands-on activities, and assesses the lessons through formative and summative designs. Overall, Kristi utilizes the philosophy that incorporates mastery of concepts. Her self-reflection and assessments determine if she needs to scaffold similar concepts or proceed through the curriculum map. As an integral part of the St. Joseph School team, Kristi shares and integrates her experiences and emphasizes concepts that will build skill development for a smooth transition into the high school’s social studies curriculum,” Homb said of Rodenbeck.