Trafalgar Middle School teacher Al Piotter is one of 10 educators from around the country honored with the National Liberty Museum’s “Teacher as Hero” award.

A Cape Coral middle school teacher has earned national recognition for his contributions to the classroom and efforts in shaping the youth of tomorrow.

Trafalgar Middle School teacher Al Piotter was one of 10 educators from around the country honored with the National Liberty Museum’s “Teacher as Hero” award, sponsored by State Farm.

Now in its 15th year, the Teacher as Hero Award recognizes outstanding educators who represent best practices in teaching and serve as role models to their colleagues and students

“I’m really honored. It’s a really cool and really prestigious award,” Piotter said. “It’s nice for me to accept it, but I accept it on the behalf of first of all the students, as well as the staff and front office.”

Piotter, 69, began his journey as an educator in 1974 in Michigan before taking a break to pursue ventures in the Southwest Florida restaurant scene. He said as time passed, he missed the students and was back into the classroom by 1996.

Following a conversation with a seventh grader who said people should not have to go hungry, Al Piotter started a small garden led by students and volunteers that has now grown into a more than 20,000-square –foot crop-producing complex, run by six certified Agri-Science classes and two hydroponic classes. Students learn valuable agricultural skills as they plan, plant, maintain and harvest all the food, producing more than 32 tons of food for use in the school kitchen as well as provided food for a local soup kitchen and for those in need. They distribute their produce once a month.

Just before the turn of the century, Piotter found himself at Trafalgar Middle School as a math teacher. That would all soon change.

One day in 2013, a student came up to Piotter disgruntled about the lack of available food resources for those in need.

He remembers the 7th grade girl said, “There’s a crisis. There are people that are hungry. We live in America, that shouldn’t happen.”

Piotter responded, “You’re right.”

He showed the student a makeshift garden that was at the school, about 30-feet by 30-feet in size. The student asked, “How many families could we feed out of this?”

Following a conversation with a seventh grader who said people should not have to go hungry, Al Piotter started a small garden led by students and volunteers that has now grown into a more than 20,000-square –foot crop-producing complex, run by six certified Agri-Science classes and two hydroponic classes. Students learn valuable agricultural skills as they plan, plant, maintain and harvest all the food, producing more than 32 tons of food for use in the school kitchen as well as provided food for a local soup kitchen and for those in need. They distribute their produce once a month.

When he told her probably around 10, she was displeased with the answer.

Based off that conversation, Piotter started a small garden led by students and volunteers that has now grown into a more than 20,000-square -foot crop-producing complex, run by six certified Agri-Science classes and two hydroponic classes. Students learn valuable agricultural skills as they plan, plant, maintain and harvest all the food, producing more than 32 tons of food for use in the school kitchen as well as provided food for a local soup kitchen and for those in need.

On the third Wednesday of each month, Trafalgar students participate in a food distribution with Community Cooperative.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Piotter said. “It started out all volunteers, then we had one class that showed interest, now it’s part of the curriculum.

“It’s one of the biggest projects that they’ll ever work on in giving back to the community. We have great students at Trafalgar and they buy-in.”

What’s interesting enough is that Piotter had no prior experience in gardening but found his green thumb along the way for the sake of teaching. And not just hydroponics or science, but how to give back.

“The kids teach me,” Piotter joked. He also gives credit to the local Garden Club of Cape Coral and local Master Gardeners for lending a hand.

His teaching philosophy? “Trust the kids. Have fun.”

Piotter also created the school’s Builder’s Club (sponsored by Cape Coral Kiwanis), which looks for areas in need, allows students to devise a plan to support that need and then encourages the students to organize and implement an event. Projects under his leadership have ranged from canned food drives, to donating and serving food in a local soup kitchen, to coastal cleanups, to school fundraisers for local causes.

The Builder’s Club fundraising also enabled a small African village to dig and build a well that provided the village with a clean and reliable water source (for which he also received a national award.)

“Mr. Piotter’s (award) is much deserved,” said Trafalgar Middle School Principal Dr. Michael Galbreath. “Al believes that community service and increasing student civic engagement is key in the development of young people. Under Mr. Piotter’s guidance, students learn life lessons about the value of hard work and the importance of helping those in need. His dedication to his students and our community has made a tremendous impact on many, many lives.”

Fellow teacher Anna Haag nominated Piotter for the national award, which he accepted at Trafalgar Middle School on Tuesday morning.

Award-winners will become part of a dedicated NLM exhibit for an entire year. Their achievements and stories will be shared with the tens of thousands of visitors who come to the museum (located in Philadelphia, Penn.) from across the region and from all over the world.

In addition to being celebrated in an exhibit, the winners will receive a family membership to the NLM, the teacher’s statement of excellence featured in NLM’s 2021 Teacher as Hero exhibit, and a commemorative glass trophy.

“I’m motivated by these students,” Piotter said. “Their ideas, their perseverance, their participation, their dedication is unbelievable. It makes all of the projects possible. The students, staff, community volunteers, parents, all have a piece of this award. I’m grateful and fortunate to be a part.”

–Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj