This year Rickert was named the recipient of the Shelly Erb Above and Beyond Award. This is an annual award given by the Thornapple Kellogg Education Association. Members of the TKEA nominate and vote on the award recipient. The honor is named after Erb - a longtime first-grade teacher who dedicated her career to helping the children and families of TK.
Rickert began working at TK in 1997 as a director of the school plays and musicals. In 2000, she was hired to teach English and has been teaching at TK ever since.
“Throughout the years, she has contributed to our community in many other ways: as an OM coach, a class advisor, and a champion of mental health programs and clubs. Most notably she is one of the most enthusiastic participants at assemblies, dances, talent shows, meetings, and anywhere else students and staff are gathered. Even the hallway is a brighter, happier place when Ms. Rickert is out and about. She is energetic, welcoming, and caring— an infectiously positive ambassador of our school culture,” fellow high school teacher Cary Saxton said in presenting the award before Friday night’s football game.
Rickert now teaches primarily 12th grade English classes and consistently adapts her curriculum to the changing literacy needs of students.
She also was instrumental in helping establish the annual senior interviews which she coordinates for all senior English students and members of the local community. She was keynote speaker for the Class of 2026 graduation. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness and an enthusiastic club sponsor for the high school’s Hope Squad.
In a recent publication of the TK Key, Rickert was the subject of a feature article and was quoted as saying, “I’m a community person. People are my thing. That’s what fuels me and I’ve found a great community here at TK.”
Rickert said she enjoys getting to know her students in class and on the stage. “I know not every student excels academically, but they excel in other areas. For me, I like finding out what they are passionate about and where they are successful. It helps me understand them and make connections.”
She said connections and building relationships are important. “One of my main goals of getting to know students and having connections with them is to help provide an environment where everyone can feel safe and be themselves, whether they are in one of my classes, plays, or however we’ve been acquainted.”
She loves being at TK and building her career here. “What really motivates me every day is my community of teachers, students and families. I can grow here along with my students. In my classes, students write about their lives, and I really get to know so much more about them and who they really are. They are all so different in their own ways. They make me laugh all the time.”