Why did you choose the field of education as a career?
I started my professional life in the business world, but when I began volunteering in schools as a mentor and literacy coach everything in my life changed. I chose the field of education because I was passionate about using my energy and talents to make a positive difference in the lives of young people. I went back to graduate school, jumped into the classroom, and never looked back. In the last 16 years, I have taught over 2,000 students in grades 7-12. Every single one has left an imprint on my heart. My students simply amaze me with their courage, perseverance, creativity, intelligence, and humor, and it is for them that I teach and continue to learn each day.

Choose three words to describe your educational philosophy that guides you as an educator.
Three words that describe my educational philosophy and guide me as an educator are growth, relationships, and engagement. My focus is always on continuous learning and growth--substantive, enduring changes in students’ thinking and the ways in which they relate to their world. For them to be ready to embark on that kind of transformational journey, strong personal relationships grounded in trust are the foundation. Finally, in every lesson or learning experience I design, I strive to engage students by connecting to their experiences, piquing their curiosity, and igniting a passion for our studies. Only when all three of these are working together can students achieve their personal best.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Success School is proud to announce the recipients of the 20th Annual Educator of the Year Awards.
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For two decades now, Chamber’s Success School has championed excellence in education with the annual awards ceremony, which recognizes the best teachers and programs in accredited schools across Monroe County. This year eight educators, one educational program, and one lifetime achievement recipient will be honored in a community celebration at the 20th Annual Educator of the Year Awards to be held on the evening of Thursday, March 4th, 2021 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Unlike the first 19 ceremonies, this year awards will be presented in an online ceremony via Zoom. The program will still feature student led entertain with a performance from the Edgewood High School Choir. Presenting sponsors, Cook Group and Solution Tree, will also join the Chamber in presenting our honorees with their awards.

Awardees are selected from a pool of nominees from across Monroe County by a committee composed of leaders from the public sector, business community, and education. The awardees for 2021 are as follows.

The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce and The Success School join our community in expressing sorrow at news of Keith Klein’s recent passing and gratitude for his decades of service to Bloomington/Monroe County.

“Our condolences go out to Keith’s family and many friends,” said Erin Predmore, the Chamber’s President and CEO. “His public service, generosity and dedication made our community a better place.”

Keith is perhaps best known as a broadcaster, working for more than 20 years as WTIU’s program director. He served as Master of Ceremonies for many local events, including the July 4th parade and Festival of Lights. He also has been a trustee for the Monroe County Community School Corp. since 2009, representing District 5.
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“Keith took great pride in his service to our community, and the sheer number of students, teachers, families, and athletes he congratulated and supported over the years is incredible,” Predmore said. “He will be missed by many.”

The Success School is the philanthropic arm of the Chamber of Commerce, working in partnership with MCCSC and RBBSC to produce graduates ready for work, career and success.  For 30 years, Chamber member volunteers have led career panels, elementary career fairs, job skills seminars, financial literacy classes, job shadowing, STEM and Life Science Fairs, and Reality Stores ®, exposing K-12 students to excellent career opportunities in Monroe County.
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Guided by the Success School Advisory Council, the programs focus on five keys: Career Exploration, Job Skills, Financial Readiness, Soft Skills and Entrepreneurship. Each program is developed to align with Indiana curriculum standards and designed to support work already occurring in the classroom.

​The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Legislative Preview next Friday, January 15th from 12:00pm to 1:30pm.
 
Every January the Chamber kicks off the year in advocacy with the Legislative Preview event,
during which the Legislative Agenda for the year is presented and local legislators are invited to share with Chamber members what to expect from the upcoming session.
 
The following legislators represent parts of Bloomington/Monroe County and have been invited to attend:

• Sen. Eric Koch (District 44)
• Sen. Shelli Yoder (District 40)
• Rep. Jeff Ellington (District 62)
• Rep. Bob Heaton (District 46)
• Rep. Chris May (District 65)
• Rep. Peggy Mayfield (District 60)
• Rep. Matt Pierce (District 61)

 
The program will begin promptly at 12:00pm via Zoom.
 
This event is open to the public, but registration is required. Members may register to attend for $10 (or $20 with a lunch gift card) while non-members may register to attend for $35 (or $45 with a lunch gift card). Attendees who register for one of the lunch options will have a $10 Azzip Pizza gift card available for pick up at the Chamber office located at 421 W 6th Street. To register, click here.

Bloomington, IN – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce has created its first ever holiday gift guide to remind community members to shop local this holiday season and give them over 100 ideas to get started.

The 2020 Gift Guide is available online at www.chamberbloomington.org/gift-guide. With 15 categories from bringing home a bit of Bloomington to unique finds for that person who is not so easy to shop for, this guide has something in it for everyone on your list. Most importantly, the 100+ businesses that are mentioned are all local to the Bloomington community.

Why does shopping local matter? According to the research firm Civic Economics, for every $100 spent at a local merchant, $68 is reinvested locally through wages, taxes, supplies and other services.

“I’ll be shopping local this holiday season, and I encourage you to do the same! It’s important that we continue to support our local business community through the end of 2020 and into the new year,” said Erin Predmore, President & CEO of the Chamber, “You may be familiar with our motto ‘Better Business. Better Community.’ We believe that shopping local, especially during the holiday season, is one of the best ways to promote better local business and ultimately create a better community for all.”

Remember to shop local this holiday season and also shop small this upcoming weekend for Small Business Saturday, November 28th.

​Bloomington, IN – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce will host Congressman Trey Hollingsworth, the U.S. Representative for Indiana’s 9th congressional district, for a virtual presentation and Q&A session.
 
The 2020 Federal Focus Event will be held on Wednesday, December 9th via Zoom.  The event will be from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. and will include remarks from the Congressman, a discussion with attendees, and a moderated question and answer session.
 
The Chamber’s Federal Focus event was created to allow dialogue and information sharing between the local business community and elected officials at the federal level.  Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from the Congressman on topics that impact the nation’s business climate, upcoming and recent legislative priorities, and updates from Congress.
 
This event is open to the public, but registration is required. Members may register to attend for $10 while non-members may register to attend for $30. To register, visit www.chamberbloomington.org.