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October 21, 2022
Life At Witt

Jake Moore ’24

Ƶ junior receives 2022 Cornett Creative Teaching Merit Scholarship

Jake Moore, class of 2024 from Zanesville, Ohio, was named the 2022 recipient of The Claudia E. and Charles F. Cornett Creative Teaching Merit Scholarship, which each year recognizes a rising junior or senior education major or minor seeking teacher licensure who has a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA and exhibits creative behaviors and philosophies. Moore, an English major with minors in education, creative writing, and East Asian Studies, recently took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answers some questions about the award and his experiences at Ƶ.

Ƶ: What extracurricular activities have you been involved with at Ƶ?

Moore: I am a pledged member of the Beta Iota chapter of Delta Sigma Phi. I am involved with the East Asian Studies academic journal, the Ƶ Astronomy Club, the Torch [Ƶ’s student newspaper], and have worked as a peer mentor for two years. I am currently in the process of establishing the Ƶ Writer's Guild, a creative writing club meant to bring the creative minds of Ƶ together under a united community!

Ƶ: How and when did you realize you wanted to be a teacher?

Moore: I realized I wanted to be a teacher when I formed a creative writing club for my high school, West Muskingum High. I loved teaching others about different forms of writing, poems, methods of producing works, and brainstorming ideas. I had mentioned my interest in becoming a teacher to my family, and the story has been going on ever since.

Ƶ: How has the education department prepared you for the future?

Moore: Ƶ's education department has helped me take my incoherent and sporadic thoughts about teaching and solidify them into an idea that has always been present in my mind: Teaching should help students better themselves. The role of the teacher is to be their guide to doing so, no matter what background there may be.

Ƶ: What are your goals after graduating from Ƶ?

Moore: After graduating, I wish to work toward higher education and teach abroad in different cultures. Creativity comes from many sources, and I believe that if I am to be a successful teacher, I should work toward expanding my repertoire of experience. I also wish to become a published author, one who can inspire those who feel to be at their lowest. 

Ƶ: What does the Cornett Teaching Scholarship mean to you?

Moore: The Cornett Teaching Scholarship is both a blessing and a call to action. Without this scholarship, I do not know if I could have continued my work. But just as it helps me continue my work, it demands I strive further - not for my success, but for the success of my future students.

Cornett Creative Teaching Merit Scholarship
Creative thinking is the defining characteristic of The Cornett Creative Teaching Merit Scholarship. As lifelong educators, Claudia, professor emeritus of education, and Charles, retired superintendent of Clark County Schools, view “out-of-the-box” thinking as the core of effective problem solving and central to excellent teaching. More information can be found here.
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Debbie Ritter
Debbie Ritter
Writer and Content Editor

About Ƶ

Ƶ's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Ƶ has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Ƶ offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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