CONFERENCE AWARDS

OMEA 2025 Outstanding Awards

Outstanding Administrator

Mr. Jay Clark

Each year the OMEA Board of Trustees awards the Outstanding School Administrator Award to a school administrator who exhibits exceptional support for the music program. Clark 2025 recipient of the Ohio Music Education Association Outstanding Administrator Award is Jay Clark, superintendent of Cory-Rawson Local Schools. He is joined on stage by his nominator, Wendi Bechtol-Davis, band director for the Cory-Rawson schools, who secured letters of support for this nomination.

Jay began his career in education as a Music Educator for the Carey Exempted Village Schools as the director of bands for grades 5-12. He has been a principal, director of curriculum, and superintendent. He supports music education from the office and the stage, as a model of life-long music making.

He has consistently supported the Music Education of his students in all of these roles, and the evening I visited their high school band concert to announce this recognition he was on the stage as the pianist for the jazz band.

In her nomination letter, Darlene Boehm, mother of 6 students in the school district: “states that Mr. Clark goes above and beyond for the music program. He pops into the band room, he can be found singing with the choir, or accompanying our students in the jazz band. He helps support the program financially such as paying for honors band fees, adjudicated events, and instruments when needed.”

It is with great pleasure that I award the 2025 Ohio Music Education Association Outstanding School Administrator Award to Mr. Jay Clark.

Outstanding Music Support Group

Maumee Band Parents Organization

Each year the OMEA Board of Trustees presents an award recognizing a Music Support Group that has contributed considerably to developing and maintaining a comprehensive music program in Ohio. The 2025 winner of the Ohio Music Education Association Outstanding Music Support Group is the Maumee Band parents organization. The leadership of the Band parents organization are being joined by the Maumee Band Director who nominated them, Mr. Eric Boswell.

In his nomination letter Mr. Boswell states: The Maumee Band Parents Organization (MBPO) has gone above & beyond in their support of staffing & supplies to ensure quality music education still occurs despite this obstacle. They actively advocated at the local level for the school district to hire a second band director. They raise funds, Staffing every athletic event at MHS throughout the year is a substantial task. Many of our MBPO officers work 3-5 evenings per week to make sure we have proper coverage in the concession stands. It is also important to note that this support is not something new for MBPO. There is a culture of helping and supporting the band program that has gone on for generations.

It is with great pleasure that I award the 2025 Outstanding Music Support Group Award to the Maumee Band Parent Organization.

Outstanding Young Music Educator

Wyatt Heinz

Each year on behalf of the OMEA Membership, the OMEA Board of Trustees awards Outstanding Young Music Educator Award to recognize and honor an OMEA member for excellence in music education who has been teaching between three and eight years. This year’s recipient of the 2025 Ohio Music Education Association Outstanding Young Music Educator Award is Wyatt Heinz. Wyatt is the Head band director in Piqua City Schools, he Co-Teaches two HS Concert Bands, 2 JH Concert Bands & Teaches Music Theory and serves as the Head Director of Marching Band. Joining us on stage is Wyatt’s nominator, and colleague, Hayley Hoss, Vocal Music Director for Piqua High School.

Wyatt Graduated from Wright State University where he earned his bachelor of Music education degree. Wyatt was a standout as a student at Wright state, where he was Awarded the Promising Young Music Educator Award from the Wright State music department faculty in (2017 & 2018). Wyatt is a servant leader to not only his own students, but also is giving back to our profession. He has hosted OMEA events, served as a chair for performance opportunities for High school and Junior high students, and has been newly elected to the OMEA state board. Additionally, Wyatt volunteers his time to the colleges in the area as a guest lecturer.

In her nomination letter, Hayley wrote “Wyatt embodies the principles of outstanding music education when he shows up to work everyday. He meets students where they are, but holds them to a high expectation with their musical growth in mind. This shows itself in his rigorous rehearsals, routine playing tests, and pedagogy-driven lesson planning.”

Dyane Thompson, Superintendent wrote “I have often said to educators, “Be the teacher you would want your own child(ren) to have.” In this case, my own three children have been so fortunate the past five years as they have personally experienced Mr. Heinz’s exceptional teaching and guidance. One of my twins who is now a Junior in high school has said more than once, “Mr. Heinz has changed my trajectory in high school.” His impact has reached much further than my own children, however. I have seen his impact in grades 6-12 throughout our district where our instrumental program exists.

Please help me congratulate the 2025 Ohio Music Education Association Outstanding Young Music Educator, Wyatt Heinz.

Outstanding Music Educator

Kathy Vansant

Continuing with our recognition, the next award is to honor the Ohio Music Education Association’s Outstanding Music Educator of the Year. I would like to invite this year’s honoree, Kathy Vansant and her nominator, Jason Gibson to come forward to be recognized. Kathy is the Orchestra director for the Reynoldsburg City Schools.

Kathy earned her undergraduate degree from Ball State University and her Masters in Music Education from University of North Texas. She was a music educator in Indiana before moving to Ohio.

In his nomination letter, Jason Gibson writes “Kathy Vansant lives and breathes education. From her three orchestras at Reynoldsburg High School, to her church choir, to the private lessons she has taught for nearly 40 years, Kathy devotes herself to teaching and sharing music with others. She has been an OMEA member since 1999, served as the South Central Region Chair for 4 years, and also as the State Orchestra Large Group Host for over 10 years. Besides her impressive resume, I am fortunate enough to work beside her and watch her with the students.

She loves her kids, and spends hours after school making sure that her students are getting the best education she can give them. Reynoldsburg is not the easiest district to work in, or grow a program, but Kathy has worked tirelessly to sustain the program for over 22 years. She is a fantastic colleague, and invests in the people around her. She is a truly outstanding educator.

Kathy’s colleague, Marie Smith states

Throughout the past twenty-two years we have come together to work on various projects. I have had the privilege of seeing Kathy work with the students. She makes a difference in the lives of her students. She is a positive role model and has a firm grasp on what is required to maintain an exemplary program. Director Vansant works tirelessly planning and implementing activities for the students, and goes above and beyond her job description to listen to and help students. Kathy is loyal, determined, and is a team player. Her love of teaching is evidenced in her classroom.

Kathy has served as a mentor and positive professional role model to many string music educators, and has impacted the musical lives of thousands of students through her teaching, selflessly giving of her time to provide Orchestra opportunities to additional orchestra students throughout Ohio.

Outstanding Music Educator Acceptance Speech

Last month as we started our teacher meeting on the day before Christmas break, our principal invited our band director, Jason Gibson, to come forward. He motioned to our choir director and myself to come help him, although we had no idea why!

He then introduced us to a special guest who was not only a former band director in our district, but also the president of OMEA, Brian Stevens.

I had no idea why Brian was there, but he came in, we hugged, and then I found out that I was being awarded the OMEA Outstanding Music Educator of the Year.

I can tell you the emotions were overwhelming as Brian read the letter that Jason had written about me. It is absolutely one of the most humbling experiences in my life to accept this award.

My name is Kathy Vansant - I started as a fourth grader learning to play violin in Westerville under Art Castle, moved on to Junior High to learn many things from Sydney Townsend.

I went to Whetstone High School under Les Susi, college at Ball State University, taught elementary orchestra in Lafayette, Indiana and then went back to school at North Texas State University to get my Master's Degree.

Over the next several years I taught in Evansville, Indiana, Crystal Lake, Illinois and (back in Ohio) Worthington and Westerville, ending up in Reynoldsburg where I have taught MS/HS orchestra, 5th grade General Music, and middle school choir during the last 23 years.

It would be impossible to list all the people that have affected my life including administrators, secretaries, custodians, students, and parents, but the people who have helped me the most are the colleagues with whom I taught most recently . . . Lori Gaulke, Brian Stevens, Joe Thrower, Kristi Reed and Jason Gibson have been my biggest supporters at the HS level and several more at the middle school level.

I can't tell you how much this means to me but I'm sure you can imagine how wonderful it feels to have your efforts acknowledged by your colleagues.

Personally, I don’t feel as if I’ve gone “over and above” in my teaching. I just do what I feel is best for my students who have always been at the forefront of my efforts and I've tried to give them the most positive Orchestra experience that also included as many life lessons as possible.

When the news of this award hit Facebook, it absolutely filled my heart to read comments from former students who still remembered special things about being in orchestra and as I read those comments, I realized that was my “why”

It is with great pride that I accept this award and I especially appreciate Jason Gibson for nominating me and the people who wrote letters supporting me.

Thank you.

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