Baltimore Honors Teacher Of The Year For Excellence In Education

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Baltimore's top teaching title goes to a middle school instructor in Northwest Baltimore.

As Gigi Barnett reports, he advances for the title among teachers statewide.

Every one of Brad Nornhold's eighth-grade math students at KIPP: Ujima Village Academy in Northwest Baltimore is expected to go to college.

They've got a good shot because Nornhold is Baltimore's teacher of the year.

The honor comes with a surprise visit from Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Andres Alonso.

"Here is somebody who gets amazing results. The kids are incredibly motivated and the expectations are very high," Alonso said.

So high that math test scores among Nornhold's student are consistently No. 1 in the city-- and last year, they were fourth in the state.

Students have his cell number, too. They can call anytime just in case they need more help.

"He tracks where every student is on every skill all year long. So, if you ask him 'Tell me how each student is doing on a particular skill,' he can tell you exactly where each student is," said Jason Botel, KIPP: Ujima Village executive director.

"He just pushes us beyond what we think we can do. And I really like that," said Keyana Williams, KIPP student.

Nornhold now gets a slew of prizes.

He says building strong relationships plus teaching rigorous math lessons equal smarter students.

"They believe that I do care and that I really do want to help them, and when they believe that, they really want to work hard," Nornhold said.

Nornhold now moves on to the state teacher of the year competition, which will be announced this fall.