By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Angela Basore of Centre was surprised when she learned the faculty had selected her to receive the “Teacher of the Year” award from the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce.

Upon a closer look, it’s easy to see why.

Just as people in other occupations are said to have it in their blood, Basore has teaching in her blood. As far back as first grade, she told her teacher that she was going to be a teacher.

“I just really love teaching, including planning and weekend grading,” Basore said.

As a child, she had a special room set up to “teach” her friends when they visited.

“I always knew I was going to be a teacher,” she said. “I always loved math, and I worked in a math lab helping other students.”

She almost was sidetracked in college when having an excellent English instructor made her want to major in English.

“She just laughed at me,” Basore said. “She told me I couldn’t spell and that I needed to teach math.”

She graduated from Mid-America Nazarene College in Olathe with degrees in math and education in 1994. That fall, she was hired at Centre and has been there ever since except for a sabbatical to be with her small children and care for her grandfather.

Basore teaches high school math covering subjects from Algebra I to Calculus. She was instrumental in co-writing a pre-calculus textbook over a four-year period.

The first activity her students have when they enter her classroom is to answer a question or two they are likely to encounter when they take the ACT test. She said it’s been proven to help them get good ACT math test scores.

“It gets them on track right away,” she said.

She makes an effort to have a one-on-one relationship with each student. She assigns homework twice a week to allow time for extracurricular activities.

Basore has served on various leadership committees and sponsors quiz bowl and National Honor Society.

She and her husband, Rick, recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. They live in Burdick. They have four children, including Rebekah, Allison, and Kate, who are grown, and Matthew, an eighth grader.

A general assembly was called at Centre to announce Basore’s selection. She received her award at a special presentation Monday in Herington.