Elizabeth Heist, a music teacher at Lake Shore Elementary School in Pasadena, was not expecting to be named Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year.
Heist received the honor at ] a ceremony attended by friends and family May 3 at the Live Event Center at Arundel Mills.
“I just absolutely couldn’t believe it. There were so many talented and deserving educators up for the award,” said Heist, one of four finalists.
The other finalists were Patrick Alexander, of Piney Orchard Elementary School; Jesse Bragg, of Meade Middle School; Amy Chitwood, of Ridgeway Elementary School; and Kellie Skinner, of Annapolis High School.
Heist now will have a chance to join other Anne Arundel County educators who went on to win Maryland teacher of the year, like Mary Kay Connerton, from Annapolis High School, Teresa Bellstein from South Shore Elementary and Josh Carroll from South River High School.
Anne Arundel County Superintendent Mark Bedell said “these are some the best educators our county has to offer” while addressing the 300-plus in attendance that evening.
Heist, originally from Somerset, a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania, fell in love with music and teaching at a young age, when she was inspired by her high school band director.
“He just made me feel very comfortable, and he made sure I understood that music was something I could do,” she said. “He showed me how impactful educators could be.”
The connection and the music led her to decide she wanted to help students in the same manner.
She received her bachelor’s degree in music from Grove City College in Pennsylvania before being hired 11 years ago to teach music at Lake Shore Elementary.
Among the people Heist thanked was the principal who hired her, Linda Toth. Toth is now principal of Millersville Elementary School and was at the event.
“I’m so grateful for Mrs. Toth,” Heist said. “She saw something in me and took a chance by hiring me. Linda, you helped shape me into the educator I am today.”
Toth, who has been a principal for 14 years, said it didn’t feel like she was taking a chance with Heist and initially was impressed by her love for teaching music.
“She had such an understanding of variations and how you present it, how you make it real for students,” Toth said.
Toth said that Heist’s love for students was obvious the first time she met her.
“One of the big things for me was her understanding of how important the arts are to the whole child,” she said.
When Heist was asked what her favorite part of teaching is, she immediately responded, “The kids.”
“I get to see them from pre-K through fifth grade, so just watching them grow, seeing the differences each year and getting to connect with them both with music and beyond is great,” she said. “They just make it so exciting and make me want to come to work every day.”
Heists’ passion for teaching is clear not only in how she talks to students using a calm and pleasant demeanor but also how attentive they are to her.
Maintaining the attention of 80 fourth and fifth graders to teach them “I Can’t Wait to be King” from Disney’s “The Lion King” can’t be easy, but neither can singing while playing the piano and conducting, which Heist does easily.
Heist said she hopes to continue teaching at Lake Shore Elementary for many years to come.
“My goal is to be a champion for kids,” she said. “My view of education is yes, music is important, and I want to instill music into my kids, but I also want them to know that they have somebody and that there is an adult in the building on their side and there for them.”
