Aaron Debbink nominated for prestigious recognition by former student

Indian Hill Schools, Wednesday, December 18, 2019  By: Heather Higdon

For six years Aaron Debbink has served Braves as a teacher and mentor at Indian Hill High School; now, one former student’s nomination has earned Debbink the honor of being presented with the Yale Educator Award.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a teacher in the Indian Hill School District, to work alongside other educators who care deeply about our students, and strive to give them an environment where they can thrive as individuals and learners,” said Debbink. “I am incredibly honored to be selected as someone who has been a unique inspiration and support to one of my students.”

Debbink was one of 55 teachers selected from 311 nominations Yale received. The teachers nominated represented 40 states and 23 countries. The former Indian Hill High School student who nominated Debbink was Class of 2019 graduate Trey Skidmore.

Superintendent Kirk Koennecke with Indian Hill High School teacher and Yale Educator Award recipient Aaron Debbink (Photo: Courtesy Indian Hill Schools) 

“Mr. Debbink was an incredibly engaging teacher who inspired me to continue pursuing physics in college,” said Skidmore. “I was very happy to see him be selected for the award because he always cared about his students and was clearly very passionate about teaching us.”

“I was excited to see Trey grow in his own interest in physics and I am very happy that Trey has the opportunity to continue his study of physics at Yale,” said Debbink. “Trey was a student who was always naturally curious about the material, a self-motivated learner, and a leader in the classroom.”

“Aaron Debbink is one of the best of the best, and we are so fortunate to call him a Brave,” said Indian Hill Superintendent Kirk Koennecke. “We are thrilled to see the positive impact Aaron has continued to have on our students; this award was much deserved.”

The Indian Hill Board of Education formally recognized Debbink during the December 17 Board of Education meeting. Click here for more on Indian Hill Schools