May 08, 2025 -- Sixth-grade student Brayan Ventura has made remarkable progress this school year. While he faced some challenges in the first two quarters, he turned things around in a big way—earning straight A’s in the last two grading periods. He credits his success to the support and guidance of his English and social studies teacher, Kristina Laber.
“My grades have been getting higher and higher because Ms. Laber keeps on telling me I have to participate and I had to do my work,” Ventura said.
Ventura’s story is one example of Laber’s ability to connect with scholars, according to Westmoor Principal Wendy Gittens, who calls Laber a “master motivator,” “student whisperer,” and “team player.”
“She can inspire even the most reluctant learners,” Gittens said.
For Laber, reaching her students is what it’s all about. For 13 years, she has taught within Columbus City Schools, including seven years at Westmoor Middle School. Before joining Westmoor, she taught at Medina Middle School.
During that time, she discovered her passion for teaching sixth grade. Watching students progress from elementary to middle school brings her joy.
“I love the sixth grade because they come with a love of learning, and they are still excited to learn new things and are open to trying new avenues,” Laber said.
Laber uses that excitement to propel her students forward. This past year, her class participated in the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Winter Reading Challenge. She set a goal for her students to read 20 minutes every day. Every five days, her class voted on the prize they would receive if they met their goal. The reward? A May trip to Kings Island.
“Some of my kids have been getting into reading so much this year, and that has been really fun,” Laber said.
And she wants all her students to be able to read at Westmoor. This year, Westmoor faced an unprecedented-sized English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) population. This resulted in Laber’s first year teaching ESL students. Nevertheless, as her class is reading “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen, she excitedly found Spanish version in print and an audio format through the Columbus Metropolitan Library for those students.
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to come into a classroom where you know no English at all,” Laber said. “Being able to provide access to education while they’re learning English has been really beneficial.”
Laber’s dedication to her students is evident—students from her first years of teaching still stop by to invite her to high school graduation parties. Principal Gittens said that connection is the mark of a great teacher.
“She’s one of those legacy teachers you want in your building,” Gittens said.
Students like Ventura agree.
“She was the best teacher of the year,” Ventura said.
