By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

George Nickerson has never taught anywhere but West Columbus High School.

And this 11-year teaching veteran, chosen by the WCHS faculty as its top teacher for 2007-08, plans to go nowhere else, despite offers every year from much larger schools in surrounding counties.

“It was a total surprise and honor to be selected,” said Nickerson who teaches marching band, concert band, jazz band and Advanced Placement Music Theory.

This was his first time winning the honor.

Nickerson said he became a teacher because his biggest heroes growing up were his high school band directors for “reasons way to long to get into. I wanted to be just like them.”

He said that the students are the best part of teaching.

“I love teaching them music and observing their reactions to the performances, both the really good ones and the not so good ones,” he said. “When they can critique themselves and then improve on their performances, that is a great experience for me.”

He said the worst part of teaching has been the high teacher turnover rate, which WCHS has undergone for the past five years.

“Often, it seems we get a great faculty together and we then lose teachers, administrators or both,” he said.
Nickerson said that the state has placed far too much emphasis on end-of-course testing and mandatory classes that all students must take.

“High school education should assist students in determining what they are going to do after they graduate,” he said. “Not every student will attend a four-year college. Many students will want to go right into the work force.

“I do not believe that students not bound for college are receiving everything they need to be successful,”
Nickerson said. “Shouldn’t that be our main objective?”

Nickerson was born at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California and raised in Medford, Ore.

He attended Medford Middle High and Senior High schools and spent 18 years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a musician.
Other duties included recruiter, security chief of division support activity in Kabrit, Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

In 1996, he graduated Magna cum laude with a bachelor of music education degree from East Carolina University.
He and wife Dawn have two daughters – Kristina and Amanda.

His bands have received numerous trophies and awards over the past years including superior ratings in marching band, concert band and jazz band. Many of his former students are studying to become band directors.