Carol Bohatch, second from left, receives her check as Teacher of the Year at James Clemens High School. Staff members at this presentation were Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler, from left, Coordinator of Secondary Instruction Dr. Heather Donaldson, James Clemens Principal Dr. Brian Clayton and former Secondary Instructional Specialist Jeanne Welt. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Seeing students grow academically and with confidence gives Carol Bohatch a sense of fulfillment. Bohatch has been elected Teacher of the Year at James Clemens High School.

Bohatch teaches pre-advanced placement and and AP chemistry. At James Clemens, she founded and runs a teacher-student mentorship program, serves in the faculty senate and co-sponsors Science National Honor Society.

“I’ve been selected for Madison City Schools Aspiring Administrators Program,” she said. “I facilitate a partnership between chemistry professors at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and James Clemens students conducting research.”

She values that partnership, saying the experience “has really been satisfying. It’s very humbling to see what our students can accomplish when they are connected to some outstanding resources.” American Chemical Society also supports the endeavor.

“Seeing students grow, no matter what level they appear at the beginning of the course, I always feel rewarded if I can facilitate some growth,” Bohatch said. Her major challenge is “convincing some students that they have tremendous abilities .. building confidence in individuals.”

During her early years in education, Bohatch always will remember a collaborative teacher with whom she team-taught. “She really helped me develop techniques that enabled me to reach a variety of students,” Bohatch said.

That collaborative teacher “reinforced the idea that all students can learn. We just have to figure out how to provide methods that would enhance their individual growth,” Bohatch said.

Bohatch earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Kent State University and a master’s degree in education at the University of Akron. She also has taught at Shore Junior High School in Mentor, Ohio and Bob Jones High School.

Her husband Rob Bohatch works with Continental Roofing. Their daughters are Emily, a sophomore at Ohio University, and Katie, a sophomore at Bob Jones.