Bringing ‘Community’ to the Classroom

Her role as coordinator of her middle school’s Where Everybody Belongs program earns MAT alumna Christa Rohrbach recognition as a 2024-25 Regional Teacher of the Year. 

Christa Rohrbach will often get the question – the one that so many in her profession hear when she tells people what she does for a living.

“Why would you want to teach middle school students?”

In response, Rohrbach will offer a smile and speak to the importance of her role – that of being a builder of confidence, leadership and community.

“I get a lot of people who think I’m crazy for wanting to teach middle school, but there’s something really special about that time in our lives,” says Rohrbach, a December 2023 graduate of George Fox’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program and an English language arts teacher at Jefferson County Middle School in Madras, Oregon. “My students are goofy, energetic, and have a lot of energy, but they also have unique ideas and ways of thinking about the world. It’s fun to engage them in thinking through those ideas and see them grow academically so dramatically in such a short amount of time.”

It’s her love and commitment to this work that resulted in her nomination as a 2024-25 Regional Teacher of the Year, an award that “recognizes and honors teacher excellence” and those who “are exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled licensed public school educators in grades pre-K-12,” according to the Oregon Department of Education.

‘Where Everybody Belongs’

Rohrbach’s selection as one of 18 Regional Teachers of the Year came as no surprise to JCMS Assistant Principal Shannon Richards.

“Christa is committed to fostering an inclusive, safe and enjoyable learning environment for all students,” she says of Rohrbach. “Her belief in the philosophy that ‘everybody belongs’ resonates throughout her teaching practices, making her the natural selection to be our school Where Everybody Belongs leader dedicated to character education and facilitating positive transitions into and out of middle school.

“She goes above and beyond to ensure that every student feels valued and celebrated, irrespective of academic achievements or behavior.”

As coordinator of her school’s Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) initiative – a middle school transition program that helps sixth-graders make the change from elementary school into middle school by using eighth-grade leaders to help show them the school and demonstrate good citizenship – Rohrbach is one of JCMS’s primary teachers tasked with promoting community. The program was in need of revitalization after it went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rohrbach accepted the challenge with enthusiasm.

“WEB really embodies all that is important to me as an educator, because it is rooted in  ideas of building community and care,” she says. “My favorite part about WEB is that it highlights ‘unconventional’ leaders. It’s all about representing every part of your school so students coming in know that they are accepted and embraced as community members, regardless of their background or what they are interested in.

“My favorite parts of the year are my WEB leader trainings, when I get to see some of those eighth-grade students step into leadership roles they never would have pictured themselves in. I love every minute of it. It’s inspiring to see my leaders take big risks and grow into those leadership positions.”

In addition to her WEB role, Rohrbach guides students as the yearbook teacher and serves as the English Language Arts Department’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) lead, which spearheads discussions on initiatives, systems and strategies to improve overall school performance and student success.

‘All About Community’

If she had to pick one word to describe why she loves to teach, it would most likely be “community.” 

“Teaching for me is all about community,” she says. “Learning is part of being a human being. We all learn all the time, inside the classroom and out, and being able to share that learning and share experiences is really special.

“It’s really important to me that I create a culture of community and belonging in my classroom so that students feel comfortable taking risks and engaging in higher learning questions or concepts. This can be hard, especially in middle school when students are so worried about what others think about them (their brains are actually hardwired to think that way). Creating community helps students understand that learning is not an individual thing, and we all have important ideas and things to contribute to the classroom.”

A Surprise Announcement

As for her nomination as a Regional Teacher of the Year, Rohrbach was admittedly taken aback.

“I was really honored and surprised to receive the nomination,” she says. “I tend to think I always have something to work on or improve, so it was really nice to have some positive feedback on my teaching. It can be hard to know if you are doing the best thing or making the best decisions for your students because there are so many moving parts to education and so many things to keep on top of, so it was really nice to have some people look at what I am doing and give me positive feedback.”

Regional Teachers of the Year are nominated by students, colleagues, administrators, friends or family members. Regional winners were identified through a local nomination, application and selection process facilitated by the 19 Education Service Districts around the state.

Applicants submitted testimonials and letters of support and were assessed by a diverse panel of regional representatives on the attributes of leadership, instructional expertise, commitment to equity, community involvement, understanding of educational issues, vision and professional development.

Education for the Educator

Rohrbach credits her George Fox experience for helping her further develop and improve her teaching skills.

“I had some excellent classes while I was at George Fox, which helped me understand the developmental age of my middle school students and gave me a lot of tools for engaging students and connecting with them,” says Rohrbach, who is continuing her George Fox education through its reading endorsement program. “I often consult my course notes to revisit ideas or engagement strategies I learned while I was there.