Teacher of the Year
2024-2025
It gives me great pleasure to announce Hanover Park’s 2024-2025 teacher of the year. Hanover Park High School conducts a program to recognize and honor outstanding teachers in the school. The goal of this program is to honor teachers who have clearly demonstrated effective instructional techniques, a positive interaction with students, and the development of feelings of self worth, and a love of learning in students.
This year’s honoree is dedicated and committed to the students of Hanover Park and to the teaching profession. He has been described as caring, passionate, knowledgeable, and an inspiration to both students and staff. Our honoree goes above and beyond for the students and for this school. It has been noted by his colleagues that our honoree is an extremely hardworking teacher. He is energetic and devoted to his students and to his craft.
Our honoree is the coordinator of the Science department who has proudly taught all levels of Physics. Additionally, he is the advisor to the newly formed Science National Honor Society. To his colleagues, he is a leader who is always available to assist them when needed.
One staff member stated that our honoree exemplifies what it means to be a highly effective educator, embodying every dimension of the honor with consistency, integrity, and heart. With years of experience under his belt, he is not only a master of content knowledge and pedagogy, but also a tireless advocate for student growth, staff collaboration, and school culture. His classroom is a place where students feel safe to take risks, explore challenging ideas, and laugh while learning. He deliberately designs lessons that are relevant and engaging—often using his quick wit and the students’ own vernacular to spark joy and curiosity. Through clear instructional purpose, formative assessments, and differentiated strategies, our honoree ensures all learners have access to meaningful learning, regardless of their ability level or interest in science.
Another colleague added that our honoree continuously places himself as a successful teacher with some of the hardest subjects in the school. He has transformed the physics department into a culture of learning where students work through real world problems and apply their knowledge of physics to help solve those problems. Where else will you see students struggling to use a bike pump to launch a rocket over the tennis courts? A tour through his classroom will take you a bit of time to read all the jokes on the cabinets, and you may get hit with a flying pig, but you will also see students pushing themselves and learning at the highest level.
An HP student noted that he promotes a collaborative and fun class environment, while also making sure that his students truly understand concepts on a conceptual level. I always enjoy walking into his class -- especially when we are doing a lab assignment. Another student added that he always thoroughly explains the content, no matter how long it takes for us to understand it. He is willing to be flexible and to accommodate more time to practice before a test. He has a genuine passion for teaching and wants to help us learn. He believes that all of his students can succeed.
Based on the numerous nominations from students and staff it is quite evident that our honoree goes above and beyond for the students and for this school. He is a caring, kind, and hard working professional who is always willing to assist students and staff when needed.
Our honoree is a truly outstanding teacher and we are lucky to have him as part of our HP family.
Congratulations Mr. O’Dell, you truly are an inspiration to your students and to your colleagues.