Decorah High School orchestra teacher Nicole Cody Named 2017 Classroom Teacher of the Year

Decorah High School orchestra teacher Nicole Cody has been named the 2017 Classroom Teacher of the Year by the Iowa chapter of the American String Teachers Association.

Nicole Cody has taught in Decorah for ­­­­­8 years. She is responsible for giving lessons and teaching the grades 9-10 and 11-12 orchestras and Advanced Placement Music Theory. She is also a violinist in the Oneota Valley Community Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony.

Cody's nomination stated, "The level of musicianship of the high school orchestras has grown under Nicole's leadership. She exposes her students to a variety of genres and encourages them to attend musical events outside of the school. At contest, her orchestras have scored superior ratings annually. The groups are well prepared and polished beyond compare of the other orchestras in the region. She often conducts without the use of a score and has had her students memorize their performance pieces so they can work together to make music beyond just simply playing the notes. As a role model, Nicole plays professionally in area symphony orchestras and other community venues. She is a lifelong learner…. The orchestra program in Decorah is at its level of excellence because of the efforts of Nicole. She is a talented musician and educator."