Martha Fisher honored as outstanding elementary teacher

Martha Fisher, third-grade teacher at Westerly, was named Outstanding Elementary Teacher for her dedication to her students. Photo by Char Shryock

Martha Fisher, third-grade teacher at Westerly Elementary School in Bay Village, was honored by the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics as their Northeast District Outstanding Elementary Teacher.

The award comes as no surprise to those who know the creative, dedicated teacher whose students learn by doing. She is known for providing exciting classroom activities like her Classroom Store, Bus Tours of Cleveland (with student tour guides), Walk the USA and her famous, full service Classroom Restaurant. She was the driving force behind turning Westerly Elementary’s courtyard into a wildlife habitat that was named a National Wild School Site by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. One year, her class studied the water cycle and made and sold painted rain barrels throughout Bay Village.

Fisher has earned National Board teacher certification and has served as a science and mathematics curriculum writer and consultant for several publications. She was named Conservation Educator of the Year by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 2012. She leads the Bay Village City School District’s Summer Academy, a two-week summer academic program that focuses on science, math and language arts open to all Bay Village Schools students in grades 1-6.

This award was presented at the group's annual conference on  Oct. 15 in Cincinnati.