At Hamilton Elementary, kindergarten is where the journey begins—and for teacher Brooke Spyke, that responsibility is both meaningful and rewarding.
“I feel very privileged to be kind of their first real school experience,” Spyke shared.
Now in her 10th year at Hamilton Community Schools, Spyke brings energy, creativity, and care into her classroom each day. For her, kindergarten is about far more than academics—it’s about helping students grow into confident, kind, and capable individuals.
“As a kindergarten teacher, everything we do is building the foundation for who they become as a student and as a person,” she said. “We focus on being kind, being respectful, and learning how to work with others, along with reading, writing, and math.”
Inside her classroom, learning is active and engaging. Songs, stories, and hands-on activities are part of the daily routine, helping students build essential skills in ways that feel fun and natural.
“We love to sing songs and read lots of stories,” Spyke said. “It’s so exciting to teach kids how to read and see those ‘light bulb’ moments when everything starts to click.”
Those moments—when a student begins to recognize letters, understand numbers, or read their first words—are what make kindergarten such a special experience.
For Spyke, Hamilton has always felt like home. After completing her student teaching in the district, she knew it was where she wanted to stay.
“Hamilton is just a really special place,” she said. “The community is so tight-knit. I’ve seen families, staff, and colleagues rally around each other time and time again.”
That sense of connection is what has kept her in Hamilton for the past decade—and what continues to make her work so meaningful.
“Everyone truly cares about each other here,” Spyke said. “I feel really lucky to be a part of it.”
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