Lori Harting

School: J.E. Ober Elementary, Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community Schools

Grade teaching: Fourth

Education: Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from IPFW

Years teaching: Seven

City born and raised: New Palestine

Current hometown: Fort Wayne

Family: I have been married for 28 years to my high school sweetheart, Tom. We have two grown children, Erin and Steven.

Last book read and what you thought of it: I am currently reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis with part of my class. Students enjoy the fantasy aspect of the story and connect with the characters’ perseverance. The Narnia series is great, and it never gets old no matter how many times I read it.

Favorite class in school: Science

Biggest influence in your decision to become a teacher

? When my children were younger, I loved to volunteer in their classrooms and have a part in students’ aha moments. It didn’t take long before I was on a mission to earn my degree. Seeing those light-bulb moments in my students makes it all worth it!

Nominated by: Jonell Malcolm, parent

Nomination: “Mrs. Harting has taught two of our children. She does an amazing job of challenging the students that need challenged and guide those that need the extra help. She goes above and beyond her job as a fourth-grade teacher. She challenges each of her students where they are academically. She is an outstanding teacher!”

Do you have a favorite teacher? Please send us your nominations, including the teacher’s name, school, school district and grade/subject taught as well as your name, phone number and reason for your nomination. Nominations can be sent to Sarah Janssen at The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802, faxed to 260-461-8893 or emailed to teacher@jg.net.

Events

•Concordia Theological Seminary will host a Lenten Preaching Workshop on Jan. 21 with the theme “Preaching the Lord’s Passion with Dr. Luther.” Dr. Naomichi Masaki, associate professor of systematic theology, will lead the workshop. More details are available at www.ctsfw.edu/LentenPreaching or by calling 452-2204.

Recognitions

•The McMillen Center for Health Education was awarded a Pinnacle Award for the 2011-2012 school year from the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. The award is presented annually to video conferencing providers who post top-ranking professional development content to www.cilc.org.

Huntington

•Keith Reynolds, senior pastor of Fairhaven Mennonite Church in Fort Wayne, will present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day address at Huntington University. The program will begin at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 21 in the Zurcher Auditorium of the Merillat Centre for the Arts. The public is encouraged to attend.

Indiana Tech

•The admissions office will host an academic exploration day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Wayne campus, 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Prospective students for fall 2013 will have the opportunity to meet faculty members and explore Indiana Tech degree programs. For more information or to register, visit www.IndianaTech.edu/events or call 800-937-2448 ext. 3103.

IPFW

•The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, IPFW Athletics and Renaissance Pointe YMCA will host the second annual Zumba-thon on Wednesday. The event will be in the Walb Student Union Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Healthy snacks will be provided for participants. For more information, contact Christopher Riley at 481-6848 or at rileyc@ipfw.edu.

Trine

•Prospective students and their parents are invited to experience Trine during a luau-themed campus visit. Prospective students can meet Trine faculty and students to learn more about fields of study offered, the admissions process, financial aid, student life and career services.

Visitors will also have a chance to talk with current students, tour campus and have a luau-themed lunch in Whitney Commons in the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University Center. Coaches and the music faculty will also be available. To learn more and register, call 800-347-4878 or visit trine.edu/visitday.

Saint Francis

•Ceramicists Diana Farfan and Lisa Clague will lecture on their work as part of the Closer Look lecture series at the University of Saint Francis at 6 p.m. Saturday in the North Campus Auditorium. The lecture occurs in tandem with the exhibition “Figurative Ceramics: Lisa Clague, Nancy Kubale and Diana Farfan” in Weatherhead Gallery in the Rolland Center for Art and Visual Communication. The event is free and open to the public through Feb. 17.

•The department of philosophy and theology in the School of Arts and Sciences will sponsor a free public lecture, “Sacrificing Truth for Comfort,” at 3 p.m. Sunday in the North Campus auditorium. For more information contact Angie Springer at 399-8066 or aspringer@sf.edu.

sarah.janssen@jg.net