January Ignite Passion Award Winner - Highly Structured Classroom Team, NOHS

North Oldham High School recognizes the team that works within our Highly Specialized Classroom—Christina Minton (HSC certified teacher), Kaitlyn Fields (aide), Erika Ritchey (aide), Sydnie German (aide), and Brooke Edds (aide) with the Ignite Passion Award. 

Christina, Kaitlyn, Erika, Sydnie, and Brooke truly embody the spirit of the Ignite Passion Award through their work together in one classroom at NOHS. As a team serving high school students with disabilities, they have created far more than a classroom; they have built a safe, welcoming community where students are known, valued, and believed in every single day. Their enthusiasm for their work and their students is evident the moment you walk into the room, and it sets a tone of warmth, respect, and possibility.

What makes this team especially deserving of recognition is the way they pour into their students as mentors and advocates. They take the time to understand each student’s strengths, challenges, and interests, and they intentionally help students discover what excites them about learning and about their own futures. Through patience, encouragement, and high expectations rooted in care, they help students build confidence, independence, and pride in themselves—often celebrating progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Together, Christina, Kaitlyn, Erika, Sydnie, and Brooke have ignited a powerful sense of belonging and purpose within their classroom and across the NOHS community. Their collaboration, compassion, and commitment to students serve as a model of what passionate education looks like in action. They are not just supporting students; they are changing lives, making them truly deserving recipients of the Ignite Passion Award from Oldham County Schools.