LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Nicole Ehrhardt was nominated by her colleague, Cody Bylsma.

"Nicole Ehrhardt is a one-of-a-kind teacher," Bylsma said. "I've had the privilege of working with her for the past three years at Cedar Grove Elementary School."

After Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Mrs. Ehrhardt took the initiative to contact all of her students and families and ensure they had supplies. When her students didn't have supplies, she would deliver them. She went out of her way to help parents secure housing, and she provided resources to help get them back on their feet. This has carried over long after the hurricane. Mrs. Ehrhardt's caring heart is always on display as she continues to help her students and families with needed resources.

Students, parents, and staff members love Mrs. Ehrhardt because of her positive attitude. She is always willing to step up and isn't afraid to act silly. During a back to school pep rally, she was seen rocking an inflatable electric guitar to We Will Rock You. Her performance will always be something that students and staff remember. 

Mrs. Ehrhardt also mentors beginning teachers by helping them with their induction program, learning standards, and lesson planning. When a new teacher needed behavior management strategies, Mrs. Ehrhardt collaborated with her to create a classroom management plan. She didn't stop there. Mrs. Ehrhardt also implemented that plan in her classroom so she could reflect on its effectiveness, too. 

While teaching fifth grade, Mrs. Ehrhardt dedicated her summer hours to developing a plan to reduce the number of referrals of upcoming students. She and her team implemented the Ron Clark House System. She planned rewards, community projects, and built a wheel to sort students into houses. Since its implementation, fifth grade has had the lowest number of discipline referrals of the school.  

During the school year, Mrs. Ehrhardt sponsored student council. The student council saw a need in the school. With donations from the community, they repainted the bathrooms and hung inspirational signs across campus. When state testing began, they created cards for students with positive messages. During Teacher Appreciation Week, they hung personalized signs in teachers' mailboxes telling the staff how amazing they were.

"During pre-inservice, we were taught about Restorative Practices," Bylsma said. "Mrs. Ehrhardt took what she learned about circle time and became a model classroom at our school for it. She takes 20-30 minutes each morning to check-in with each student. She creates an environment of trust and respect within her classroom. This learning environment, combined with Mrs. Ehrhardt's knowledge of differentiation, allowed our school to jump from a D to a C, as measured by the Florida State Assessment (FSA). We have maintained a C while she has been with us.  Her learning growth led her to be rated as a Highly Effective teacher for the past three years."

"There is nobody more deserving of this award than Mrs. Ehrhardt. She exemplifies what a teacher should be," said Bylsma. "She is caring, fun, and firm. She builds a relationship of trust and respect with every student she meets. The students of Bay County are blessed to have her in the field of education. Every child deserves a teacher like Mrs. Ehrhardt."