Amy Paxton, Stevensville Consumer Sciences teacher, was named the 2022 Teacher of the Year by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Montana Affiliate.
Paxton has been teaching Family and Consumer Sciences for the past 11 years, six of those at Stevensville. She was raised in Hamilton and went to the University of Idaho. She taught at Hamilton first, then Stevensville.
The family and consumer sciences curriculum includes culinary arts, sewing, and housing and interiors.
She teaches three levels of culinary arts. Culinary 1 includes basic kitchen safety. Paxton teaches a program called Serve Safe which is a requirement for restaurant workers. She is currently trying to add a certification for Serve Safe to her Stevensville program.
Culinary 2 is learning about the five different “mother sauces” and how to make them. In Culinary 3, students explore the food of other countries and end by preparing some of those foods.
She also teaches three levels of sewing classes, from hand sewing to construction and pattern techniques.
In the housing and interiors program, students learn everything from renting and buying a house, to construction, floor plans, electricity, and how to decorate a home (color harmonies, principles and elements of design).
Due to the recent construction and remodel project, Paxton said she had to spend half of the year in a classroom that was “not consumer science friendly. I had to come up with ways to still make the classes happen. I even tried embroidery so I could teach them something.”
This award is decided by a board of teachers of the same discipline. Paxton said you have to be recognized by another teacher, and she doesn’t know who it was that nominated her. But she said that there are only a couple of consumer science programs left in the valley. There is a shortage of teachers in the field, and many openings are left unfilled. She said that MSU has a great program that she recommends for students who are interested in pursuing this.
“We thank you for your hard work and dedication in teaching our students several life skills necessary for their success. Great work!” stated a post on the Stevensville High School Facebook page.
“I love the students that I have,” said Paxton. “They are amazing. We really do have some great kids here at Stevensville.”