Samuel Piehl, Wadsworth Jazz Band director and Middle School band director has been named the Wadsworth High School teacher of the year. 

He managed to win the Teacher of the Year Award; nevertheless, he overcame the odds since he teaches at three different schools in the district and many students know who he is and have made a connection with him.

“I was really surprised, I didn’t even know that people knew that I taught in this building because I teach at so many other places,” Piehl said.

Piehl won many awards in his years of teaching; the one that stuck out the most for him was when his Jazz band was selected for the 2022 Ohio Music Education Association State Professional Development Conference (OMEA PDC). 

The OMEA PDC is the third-largest music conference in the United States and only chooses around 30 ensembles in the state. This award shows Piehl’s band was one of the best Jazz bands in the state. 

Piehl’s middle school concert bands have won many different awards from competitions in Northeast Ohio and he is very proud of them. Especially, the kids he has seen grow from fifth grade and their progression.

After this year Piehl is leaving Wadsworth to support his wife, Teresa’s, career. His wife recently graduated medical school and will now pursue her residency at an Air Force base in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I’ll miss the goofy times with the students where we get to share stories or make memories, those moments are the most important to me,” Piehl said.

Piehl accomplished many things in his last year teaching in Wadsworth. He taught band classes in grades 5-12. He traveled to three schools daily to teach his students and taught for 8 years at Wadsworth.

“I am going to miss Mr. Piehl a lot,” said Felix Patterson, a student in his Jazz band, ”He made it much more enjoyable and he’s great, [however] I’m sad that he is going to be gone.”

Piehl will move on to a new chapter of his life, and his students will miss him. In Vegas, he will take a break from teaching, but he may consider teaching again.