Steve Drott wins "Excellence in Teaching" Award

Steve Drott of Woods Cross High School is a winner of the "Excellence in Teaching Award" and will be honored at the "Superstars in Education" Awards Celebration on October 14. Each winner receives $1,000 courtesy of Bill and Pat Child.

There is no cost to attend the Superstars Celebration this year, so everyone is invited to attend the awards celebration at 4:30 p.m. (reception begins at 4 p.m.), at the South Towne Exposition Center, Hall 4.

Here is an excerpt from the nomination submitted by a fellow teacher.

Steve Drott brings science to life, literally, for his students, many of whom have never before seen the living creatures swimming around them. Kids who have hated academic classes, seen no use for science, or appeared to have no interest in learning, thrive when they enter "Otis's Fish Shack," as the sign on his classroom door reads. Lectures are fascinating, assignments are accessible, and attendance is high. Steve's enthusiasm for his subject and his acceptance of his students, no matter their skill levels, make him one of Woods Cross High School's most beloved teachers.

So, imagine the shock and distress that spread through his students, his volleyball and softball players, and the faculty when it was discovered that Steve had multiple myeloma, a cancer that infects the bone marrow. In the two years since his diagnosis, Steve has been in several comas, has had his kidneys shut down, and has missed weeks of school. His immune system is compromised; he has had to keep a perimeter around himself to prevent students from passing on their colds and flu, and he has had hand sanitizers installed for students to use when entering his room. He goes for chemotherapy every Wednesday, but has learned to manage the ups and downs that are part of the treatment, as he hopes for a remission that so far has not come.

Yet, if he can move, Steve is at school. Steve is smiling. Steve is a living testament to looking for the positive. Steve goes on. He talks openly to his students about what he is going through, and finds teaching moments based on his own current experiences, whatever they might be. He is a hero and a role model at a time when kids need heroes and role models.