Whether in a classroom with a leopard gecko or at a swimming pool leading a triathlon, elementary school teachers Sarah Jacobson and Kelly McLaughlin know how to make a splash with their students. 

It is why both recently received buoyant news — word that they were selected as the Union County winners of the Community Bank Apple Appreciation Awards for teachers.

Jacobson, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Grande Ronde Academy in La Grande, learned of the news at a school assembly.

“I was completely surprised,” she said. 

Jacobson said the only hint she had came from one of her pupils.

“The student said, ‘I know something I can’t tell you, but you will be pleased,’” she said. 

McLaughlin, a physical education teacher at Stella Mayfield Elementary School in Elgin, also was caught off guard when she received word of the award via a phone call.

“I had no idea,” she said. 

Stella Mayfield Principal Tom Sorensen is delighted that McLaughlin is being recognized.

“She is truly worthy of this honor,” he said. “She is very dedicated to kids and the community.”

McLaughlin is in her seventh year at Stella Mayfield. She was a classroom teacher her first five years before becoming a physical education teacher there in 2018-19.

“I’m loving it. I was a PE major in college, so this was a perfect fit,” said McLaughlin, an Eastern Oregon University graduate.

She said the chance to help children is the best part of her job.

“It is the kids. I love working with them,” McLaughlin said. 

McLaughlin, who grew up south of Klamath Falls, said she had long dreamed of being a teacher.

“Both of my parents were teachers so it is in my blood,” she said.

McLaughlin has started a number of new programs at Stella Mayfield, including an annual spring triathlon for fifth- and sixth-graders in which students swim, bike and run. She hopes to open the triathlon to the public this spring.

“I want it to be a community event,” she said.

This is symbolic of McLaughlin’s community mindedness. Sorensen said she is excellent at reaching out to local businesses and organizations like the Lions Club and get them involved in school programs.

“She does a good job of partnering with the community. This is important because we are a community school,” Sorensen said. 

The principal also said McLaughlin has an endearing sense of humility.

“It is difficult for her to accept compliments,” he said.

Jacobson has been at Grande Ronde Academy about a year less than McLaughlin has been at Stella Mayfield. She is in her second year as a full-time fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at Grande Ronde Academy and before that was a part-time teacher and member of the GRA office staff.

“She is an outstanding teacher and very dedicated,” said Grande Ronde Academy Principal Phillip O’Reilly.

Darcy Pedro, an administrative assistant at Grande Ronde Academy, echoes this praise.

“She does not stop. She is one of the first ones here at the start of the day and one of the last to leave,” Pedro said. 

The administrative assistant added that Jacobson is accessible to her students 24/7, noting that she encourages students to send her text messages after school if they have any questions.

“Even when she is at home she is there for her students,” Pedro said. 

Jacobson’s classroom is filled with additions designed to make subjects the students study in textbooks jump off the page, sometimes in a literal sense. These include her classroom’s pets — four frogs, several guinea pigs and two leopard geckos, which are lizards found in Asia and throughout Afghanistan. The guinea pigs are what Jacobson’s students are watching now with great anticipation.

“One of the guinea pigs is about to give birth. The students are pretty excited about that,” Jacobson said. 

Her classroom’s many other features include animal skulls and furs and geologic materials. Jacobson often has her students handle objects like these when they can be tied in to the curriculum being studied. 

“Kids love hands-on activities,” Jacobson said. 

The Grande Ronde Academy teacher has two degrees from EOU, an undergraduate degree and a master’s in teacher education. 

Her background includes two years working for the Peace Corps in Romania from 1998 to 2000. There she was impressed with how the educational system focused on developing all elements of a student, including character. Today she is applying what she learned in Romania to her classroom. 

“I want my students to be good citizens,” Jacobson said.

The Community Bank Apple Appreciation Award acknowledges current elementary school, middle school and high school teachers. The winning teacher from each Community Bank location in Northeast Oregon was presented with an Apple Appreciation Award trophy and asked to choose a club or student organization at their school to receive a $200 donation from the bank.

Jacobson chose to have her donation go to GRA’s robotics club and McLaughlin had hers go to Stella Mayfield’s triathlon.