Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Central Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher is the 2020 BCSC Teacher of the Year. She is pictured Aug. 31, 2020, outside the Columbus school.
A local Central Middle School teacher who was the 2020 Teacher of the Year for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is one of many educators being honored at the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.
Mindy Summers, who was also one of the top 25 finalists for the 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year award, is among 18 Indiana Teachers of the Year being honored by the 2022 Indianapolis Host Committee and College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation.
The teachers were nominated by their peers and communities and will join 56 state teachers of the year as part of the “Teacher of the Year Championship Experience,” according to the foundation. The experience is presented by Eckrich and developed by the CFP Foundation in coordination with the Council of Chief State School Officers.
“Honoring teachers is one of the many ways that the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship positively impacts our community,” said Indianapolis Host Committee Chairman Mark Howell in an official statement. “We invite teachers and all of their biggest fans to join us in celebrating their hard work at the events surrounding National Championship weekend.”
In the weekend leading up to the championship game, Indiana teachers will enjoy a four-night stay in downtown Indianapolis. The educators, along with the state teachers of the year, will be honored guests at CFP Foundation events.
The experience will culminate on Monday night, with teachers being recognized on-field at the national championship game “in celebration of their superb effort and dedication to the teaching profession,” organizers said.
In addition to Summers, BCSC school board member Todd Grimes will also be present at the game, according to a social media post from the Simon Youth Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping at-risk students.
Grimes, a teacher in the Simon Youth Academy at Greenfield-Central Schools, will be one of more than 100 Indiana educators who hold and display the flag during the national anthem.
