Katherine Berner, a library media specialist at Baker Intermediate School, focuses on bringing vibrant learning experiences to students through unique projects in her classroom. (Photo submitted)
(FRANKFORT, KY) – Katherine Berner, a library media specialist at Baker Intermediate School (Clark County), has a special focus on bringing vibrant learning experiences to students through unique projects in her classroom. Berner was recently named the 2027 Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Vibrant learning experiences are experiences that go beyond traditional classroom instruction to spark curiosity, creativity and collaboration. As a library media specialist, Berner teaches four classes every day where students do projects, different kinds of hands-on activities, book check-outs and reading.
“I get to be more creative in my lessons and get to see creativity more in my students,” Berner said. “So I try to gear the library part of the lessons towards project-based learning. I like that students are actively involved in their learning and I like that they are working together as a team.”
One of Berner’s favorite projects that she leads in her classroom is the stop motion animation project. Students learn how animation works, then they work in teams to create a stop motion animation movie that gets shown to their classmates and parents.
“My favorite part about that lesson is that students will come back and they’ll say, ‘I tried this at home.’ … I think just something that they learned in class that they’re willing to try outside of class that they loved so much … is powerful,” Berner said. “It’s just a fun way to also incorporate some of their terminology from reading class. … They aren’t really thinking about the learning part of it, but we also get to incorporate the characters, what’s the setting, what’s the conflict, the story.”
Berner has a bachelor’s in middle school education from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in teacher leadership from Georgetown College.
She started teaching 6th-grade language arts in 2008 at Clark Middle School, then became a library media specialist at Baker Intermediate School in 2020.
“One of the first things I did when I became library media specialist was I reached out to our public library to see how we could collaborate or work together,” Berner said. “So we developed a plan and now we’re in our sixth year. (Public library staff) come to my library once a month and they lead makerspace lessons and they also get to share about what kind of programming is happening at the public library.”
She said students often don’t know about opportunities for learning outside the classroom, such as programs at the public library, so she makes community connections to share those resources with students.
“I do try to build (a variety of) community connections outside of the classroom. I think it’s important for students to see community members working together,” Berner said. “Beyond the public library, we in Clark County have a great community that’s willing to step up whenever necessary and so I’ve been trying to find those connections and bring them in for different tasks.”
Misty Strain, head of youth services at the Clark County Public Library, has collaborated with Berner on projects with the library, and recommended her to be Teacher of the Year. Strain said in her recommendation letter that her children enjoyed having Berner as their teacher in the district.
“My daughter loved having her as her library teacher, especially when they did projects that really challenged and stretched the students to explore creative problem solving,” Strain said. “One project that she particularly enjoyed was building a roller coaster out of recycled materials and coming up with the story behind the ride.”
Berner also encourages students to get more involved in extracurricular activities. She co-directs the school’s theater program. Over the 13 years she’s been involved in the theater program, she’s seen it grow from about 30 students auditioning for plays to about 100 students.
“I think theater is a way that gives students confidence; it gives them something that they can believe in and they believe in themselves,” she said. “I think that’s powerful, that they have found something they love and … continue to do it throughout their educational experience.”
Berner said she wanted to be a teacher because she saw the difference her parents made in young people’s lives at a church camp where she grew up. She wants to make a difference in students’ lives and encourage a love of reading for them.
“One of the goals that I always have for myself is that I remember what it’s like to be in the classroom and I remember those teachers that really challenged me,” Berner said. “So I try to bring in as many students as possible and make them feel safe and make them feel welcome in the room, so they’re more willing to try different things and more willing to give learning a chance.”
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