Rochester Middle School math teacher Amy Norton was recently named the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Middle School Teacher of the Year for Washington state.
What made the honor even more special for the four-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran was that her sisters, U.S. Army veteran Holly Pierce and U.S. Navy veteran Julia Arnold, presented the award to her at a ceremony March 8.
“It was very unifying because we were all in the military. We’re all in different branches, and branches pick on each other, but we can still come together,” Norton said. “It’s very sweet of them to think of me and recognize me for something I do when I don’t expect any credit for it.”
Norton received word of her award in January ahead of the VFW Department of Washington mid-winter conference in Pasco, but she gave birth to her son that weekend and was unable to attend. She celebrated at a ceremony at a Olympia VFW post in March and picked up a certificate, a trophy and a $1,000 cash prize.
Norton is in her ninth year teaching after serving in the Marine Corps as a radio operator. She also had a deployment where she did some tracking of convoys and worked in an infantry unit.
“You’re pretty much a jack of all trades when you’re in the Marine Corps. You go where you’re needed,” she said.
Norton also received a writeup from her current and former students who expressed their appreciation for her.
“It made me very humble and made me realize all the little things that I do as a teacher to help students, especially hearing current students of mine and former students that are like, ‘Come back. You are a great teacher,’” she said. “People wanting to have you as a teacher is a very humbling experience and makes you realize that you’re in the right place and you’re making a difference in people’s lives.”
Norton said she plans to take her sisters out to lunch with her cash prize and provide some rewards and treats for her classroom.
