Olivia Ziering recibe el premio Provo Way

abril 21st, 2025 /
Spencer Tuinei /
Noticias, Reconocimientos y premios, Escuelas, Escuelas Secundarias, Shoreline Medio

Nowadays, teachers are expected to be something heroic: they are expected to be teachers and heroes and content creators, judicial yet impartial, romantics yet pragmatists and it’s impossible to strip any of these labels down into a realistic ideal.

It’s an impossible balance that makes great teachers unique: in this setting they manage to put in the time and effort for their students, becoming something more for our most deserving youth– they are heroes. At Shoreline Middle School, Olivia Ziering is a great teacher, and it is through her tireless commitment to her students and time-tested, practicum-worn teaching methods that she has earned this month’s Provo Way Award.

Fellow Shoreline Middle School teacher Jordan Cimenski, who nominated Olivia, perfectly captured her relentless dedication:

“Olivia spends more personal, non-paid time working for her students than any other teacher I’ve seen or worked with. I’ve seen her work while on vacation in other countries, I’ve seen her stay hours and hours past work time, and work over the holiday breaks into the night hours. She does this not because she feels like she’s behind or being pressured to but because she genuinely enjoys working on lessons for her students.”

Olivia’s passion is reflected in every aspect of her teaching. Her slideshows, assignments, and Canvas courses are meticulously designed—clear, engaging, and visually stunning. But beyond aesthetics, she provides scaffolding, support systems, and high expectations for all students, pushing them to succeed while ensuring they never feel alone in their learning journey.

“She pushes them to challenge themselves and holds them to high standards while also checking in with them frequently to give them any help they might need,” Cimenski wrote. “You can tell that she puts a great deal of thought into everything she does, even down to how she sets up her classroom and organizes it to be comfortable, safe, and filled with easy-to-find resources for students.”

Beyond her detailed units and lesson plans, Olivia has taken on the demanding role of guiding student government at Shoreline Middle. She has helped students grow into leaders, fostering a school culture where students feel supported to take initiative and set a positive example for their peers.

The painstaking effort that is recognizing the soul in each one of the thousands-plus ambivalent teens that traffic in and out of your door is less tangible than you might hope. It’s measured in a thousand strokes, counted in a perpetual stride taken without embellishment, and it is every day.

Olivia is this personified. Olivia is quiet about her efforts, but she is there putting the time in; during prep periods, in the hours outside of the classroom, on vacations, after sundown– and it is that time that counts; it’s the everyday acts of goodwill that make souls grow. Thank you, Olivia, for helping Provo students grow.