28-05-2025
Pella Middle School teacher earns Golden Apple
PELLA, Iowa — The Golden Apple often goes to teachers who have decades of experience in the classroom. Sometimes, we find younger teachers who are making a big difference, too.
Just like his name, Hayden Vroom is always on the go and oftentimes loud.
'You can throw kids off by just yelling or standing in a weird spot. Like, if you stand on a desk, they're like 'Whoa what is this guy doing?' But you have their attention all of a sudden,' Vroom explains. 'Anyway, you can get their attention, and if crazy is how you get their attention, then it works.'
It works for this math and science teacher who is only in his third year of his first teaching job at Pella Middle School.
'I'm far from the best teacher in the building actually, as far as teaching strategies and all that,' Vroom said. 'But when it comes to passion and energy, I feel like I bring that every single day.'
Nominate your favorite teacher for the Golden Apple Award!
Passion and energy that make his students want to learn.
'There's never really a dull moment. Like he can always just make someone laugh,' Lauren Van Kley, 8th grade student, said. 'And science has never really been my favorite subject, but he always just finds a way to make it fun.'
And teachers want to teach.
'Because of him, everyone has more energy,' fellow teacher Cody DeKruyff said. 'There's more effort given to learning. There's more just overall positivity. And you can feel it when you step into his classroom and areas around it also.'
Encouragement that's felt by everyone Mr. Vroom crosses paths with.
'He's just like a pure light in this school,' Sibley Carlstone, 8th grade student, said. 'He never fails to try to get to know all the students. And he's so energetic, and it really brightens everyone's day around here.'
It's why several of his students and fellow teachers nominated Mr. Vroom for the Golden Apple.
'Wow… that was like the best kept secret ever,' Vroom said when accepting the award, 'I had no idea, that's kinda awesome. Wow, I'm honored. I'm actually speechless which is saying something because I'm never speechless.'
A recognition for a teacher who's always called Pella home. Vroom graduated from Pella Christian and went to Central College to study education. A career path he credits back to the teachers he had in school.
'I think the stereotypical answer is I had some really good role models in my life,' Vroom said. 'Wow, he [one of his former teachers] made history fun. This guy was crazy in his own way. He talked about video games sometimes. Like he was just a person. I'm like man, he's real. He's real. And I'm like I want to be that. I want to be real to kids.'
And so far, he's doing just that.
'He also really tries to connect with students,' Van Kley said. 'He's not really like what you think of as a teacher, he's also kind of like a friend and someone you can really trust.'
More: Golden Apple Award winners
Another 8th-grade student, Kaitlyn Weaver, described him as a 'very caring guy' who cares about everyone.
'They all come from something different, right? You never know what they're coming in with every single day and meeting them where they're at is kind of a big deal to me,' Vroom said. 'And I feel like every single day, you can bring joy. So I try to meet them with some joy every single day and seeing a smile is a win in my book.'
Mr. Vroom is also known as 'Coach Vroom.' He is the middle school girls' track coach, as well as an assistant coach for the high school football team.
Check out the extended interview with Mr. Vroom below:
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