At 2 a.m. Thursday, Harrison Elementary School teacher Ethel Ringle was buying hot dogs at Wal-Mart.

Twelve hours later, she told her third-grade students they would be taste-testing condiments on "worms." The students' reactions were "Ewwwwww!" and "Gross!"

The "worms," of course, were the hot dogs Ringle boiled an hour earlier.

Ringle's class is reading "How To Eat Fried Worms" and the condiment testing on the "worms" was a way for Ringle to interest her students in the book.

Ringle and fellow Harrison Elementary School third-grade teacher Katie Beehler both have been nominated for the Disney Teacher Award for their creativity and success in the classroom. As the next step in the award process, both teachers must submit an application to be considered for the 2006 Disney Teacher of the Year Award. A third Harrison teacher was nominated but chose not to pursue the award further.

Since 1989, the awards have been presented to teachers who create learning environments where students and teachers explore, imagine and engage in a variety of stimulating ideas and experiences, according to a Harrison School press release. The program honors teachers whose approaches "exemplify creativity in teaching and who inspire a joy of learning in their students."

On learning of her nomination, Beehler said, "I was flattered. I was excited that someone had thought of me to nominate me and this award is so fitting." Beehler decorates her classroom with Disney characters.

One of the ways Beehler is creative in her classroom is with spelling tests. First, she gives the standard 15-word spelling test. Then, she uses "bonus" words to tell a story from her life.

"They love to hear about college and high school swimming," Beehler said.

She also plans to study geography with her students by having the students look at different ways Christmas is celebrated around the world. "Just a more creative way makes it interesting," Beehler said.

For Ringle, receiving awards for teaching isn't new, but she's still flattered every time anyway. When she first heard she was nominated for the Disney award, Ringle said her reaction was, "Oh, this is nice. I felt kind of honored by whoever nominated me. "

Ringle - who has taught for seven years, six of them at Warsaw schools - received the Indiana Computer Educators runner-up award in 2003 for integrating technology in the classroom. She and her class in 2002 won the Excellence in Media and the Judging Coordinator Special Award at the International Student Media Festival in Dallas, Texas.

"Each is nice in its own way," Ringle said. "It recognizes something different each time."

Different is a word Ringle closely associates in the classroom. She said when building a lesson plan, she likes to think outside the box.

"I like to dress up, so I do different personas. I've dressed up as a cell before," she said. Last year, she was a "camp counselor" and had tents pitched in the classroom. Her students read their books in the tents and the class had a "cook out" in the class.

Being creative in the class is important. "I think it gets them really interested in whatever subject we're learning," Ringel said. "... The creative things lead to more depth and more opportunities."

Last year, one of those opportunities was for her class to make a presentation to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on why Guidant Corp. should move to Warsaw. The presentation was a project her class had worked on for some time.

Sometimes the funding for the creative projects isn't there so Ringle digs into her own pocket. She bought the hot dogs and supplies for Thursday's taste testing.

"I don't mind because I know it's worthwhile," she said. "To make it come alive for them, it's worth the little bit of money I spend."

But both Ringle and Beehler appreciate the support they get, not only from Warsaw Schools, but other sources.

"Warsaw is good that way, in that they don't force teachers to teach the same way and (lets teachers) be creative in their class," Ringle said.

Beehler said when she was being interviewed for the job, she asked Principal Randy Polston about the curriculum. She said he told her he wants the books in her classroom to be used at least 51 percent. After that, "be your own teacher." From the onset, she's taken his advice.

But the support doesn't stop there. The PTO provides teachers with money and many parents send in items Beehler requests, "which is awesome," she said.

The Disney Award honorees will be announced in late spring and celebrated in July. During the gala, four honorees will be selected as outstanding teachers and one will be named the Disney Teacher of the Year. Honorees each will receive $10,000, and a $5,000 grant will go to their schools along with a six-day professional development institute with their principals at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Ringle already knows how she'd use that grant money. "I love to use technology in the classroom, so I would get things like a Smart Board, a digital video camera ... a new Mac to edit the videos. So, I would probably spend it on technology and books for the kids," she said.

So what kind of affect do teachers and their creativity have on students? Ringle ('95) and Beehler (2000) are both former Warsaw students who came back to teach. [[In-content Ad]]