Christian Teacher of the Year: Nicole Darroch champions ‘freedom to innovate,’ looks beyond current educational landscape

From scavenger hunts about being God’s image-bearers to movement-based lessons on serving others, Nicole Darroch exemplifies faith, creativity, and academics working hand in hand.

By teaching biblical truths in an active, hands-on style, Darroch helps her students learn about faith actively rather than only passively listening to lectures.

Darroch, one of only 12 instructors named 2025 Christian Teacher of the Year by the Herzog Foundation, publisher of The Lion, has a long track record in education. After teaching in public schools for 21 years, she is now Head of School at Ridge Academy in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where she teaches kindergarten through second grade.

The school’s mission is to instill a “deep understanding of God’s love and teachings” in students. It lists spiritual and academic growth, integrity and fostering a Christ-centered community among its core values.  

Darroch tells The Lion that Christian education is excellent because it gives instructors the “freedom to innovate” and the ability to teach without some “constraints that other educational institutions have.”  

It’s the “ability to dream big, to really focus on the kids, the needs of the kids, the needs of the family, and to match those needs in the best way possible,” she says of teaching at a Christian school. “I think people around you that are excellent also help you to be excellent.”

Making biblical learning active 

One way Darroch discusses deep issues with young students, such as introducing the concept of humans being image-bearers of God, is by making the learning process active and memorable. 

Citing a lesson from the Foundation Worldview curriculum, which discusses the idea of image bearers, Darroch says it’s important to find ways to discuss deep issues with young children on their level.  

“I think the kids had never heard the word image bearer before, because that’s not an everyday word,” she says. “They had questions.” 

Realizing the students had been sitting for a while and needed to move, she decided to scatter pictures of people around the classroom for a scavenger hunt. The activity was exciting to the students, she says, since they could run, get moving, and look for items in an Easter-egg hunt style.  

“It was lots of fun, but it was also a fun way to move and kind of honor the fact that God made them to move,” Darroch says. “But we’re also learning about being an image bearer at the same time.” 

Another way Darroch makes learning a hands-on process is by encouraging them to view every situation, big or small, through a biblical lens. Using a lesson from Brave Books, Darroch helps students explore empathy and kindness through a lava-themed activity where they had to rescue stuffed animals, prompting them to consider thinking beyond themselves in challenging situations.  

If you can teach children through movement, it’s more than a “bonus,” Darroch says, adding that moving more often should “be the priority.”  

Thinking outside of the box 

“Dream big” is Darroch’s message when it comes to other Christian educators. The more she talks to other Christian instructors, the more ideas she gets that she can apply to her own school, she says.

“Don’t be limited by what you see currently in the educational landscape. Just think beyond it,” Darroch suggests. “And that, to me, has been the most fun coming from public ed into private ed.”

Part of her transition has been to think about education in a “totally different” manner and even challenge the status quo by shedding some of her old beliefs and training. 

“Because it didn’t work and it wasn’t good, and it wasn’t founded on anything good, but we just did it that way for whatever reason,” she said. “And so being able to shed that and just kind of doing it the right way, it has been really awesome.” 

The biggest adjustment for Darroch when switching from public education to private was the size of the school and the smaller community, she says.  At first, when switching to a small Christian school she felt like a “lone person on the island,” but as the school has expanded to a team of six people, she said it has been “phenomenal.” 

Guided by prayer 

Darroch says she doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all pitch for families considering sending their children to Ridge Academy. 

“I would just encourage people that you need to pray about it as a family,” she says. “It has to fit the family.” While she believes in the value of her school and Christian education in general, she says ultimately, “God will lead the family where he wants them to be.” 

The Christian Teacher of the Year honor is part of the Herzog Foundation’s Excellence in Christian Education award series. Each of the 12 winners will attend a special professional development and recognition event in Washington, D.C.