Ocean City Teacher Receives ‘Exceptional Teacher’ Award

OCEAN CITY – Amy Andersen, American Sign Language teacher at Ocean City High School, was one of 10 educators recently honored at a ceremony held at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. For 11 years, the National Liberty Museum has recognized the accomplishments of Delaware Valley educators with the Teacher as Hero Awards, sponsored by State Farm. Andersen received the “Exceptional Teacher” Award, for which she was nominated by Ocean City School District Superintendent Kathleen Taylor, Ed.D.
“As superintendent, I can ask for nothing more than a teacher who engages each and every one of her students and inspires them to not only excel at the subject matter, but to also develop a strong character and a passion for making the world around them a better place,” said Taylor of Andersen.
Andersen, who resides in Cape May Court House, N.J., teaches American Sign Language I, II and III Honors at Ocean City High School. She founded the American Sign Language program at the school in 2004 and has single-handedly developed it, significantly impacting not only the district, but also the community and beyond.
Annually since 2008, Andersen has empowered her students to develop and perform an ASL show that raises money for Deaf causes. The show has helped galvanize the entire school and Ocean City community into supporting both her students’ work and the Deaf community. Andersen also runs a monthly ASL Social at a local coffee shop, where Deaf volunteers practice sign language with her students. Such experiences help her students gain confidence in their practice of sign language and explore a passion for working with the Deaf community.
Andersen began the Sign Language Program in 2004 with 42 students. Today, she teaches ASL to more than 150 students daily at three different levels. This growth has contributed to a strong network of students and alumni who can communicate with the Deaf community. A number of her students have gone on to pursue ASL-related careers.
Andersen was named the Ocean City High School Teacher of the Year in 2016, and in her acceptance speech, she summarized her approach to teaching: “Maya Angelou teaches us to ‘be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.’ Every day I try to teach and guide the students in front of me to do the same, be that rainbow. Do what you love in life. And, if at the end of the day I have inspired and ignited a passion, or given a child a safe haven, then that is enough; that is truly something. Because as they move forward into life and face challenges, they take those rainbows with them and never feel alone. My students go out into the world, and they make bridges between cultures, they embrace differences of those around them, offering their own rainbows and changing lives as they go.”