SCSC NEWS FROM THE CENTER FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Six Outstanding Educators Receive Awards Totaling $60,000

The Center for Academic Excellence has announced that educators and academic coaches from Lake Park-Audubon, Jackson County Central, MACCRAY, ROCORI, Dassel-Cokato, and Delano school districts have been named as this year’s honorees and recipients of $10,000 awards from the WEM Foundation in recognition of their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to student learning.

Two honorees are named in each of three categories: Teacher Achievement Awards, recognizing teachers who support, inspire and assist students to achieve despite barriers to learning; Academic Coach of the Year Awards, recognizing coaches of student teams who participate and compete in academic challenge or enrichment programs endorsed by the Minnesota Academic League Council; and Ethics in Education Awards, recognizing educators who exemplify ethical behavior for the teaching profession and promote ethical practices and development for their students through classroom activities or curriculum.

The 2008 WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Award honorees are:

Teacher Achievement Award:

• Kathryn Athmann of Cokato has been the reading specialist and Title One coordinator at Dassel-Cokato Middle School for four years. She has been teaching for 19 years, and prior to her current position, she was a first-grade teacher at Dassel Elementary School
• Kathleen Stalnaker of Clara City is currently an English teacher at MACCRAY High School, teaching composition, literature and media literacy to students in grades 9–11. She has been with MACCRAY for 15 years, and teaching for a total of 17 years. She also coaches One Act Play, Three Act Play, and directs the junior high play.

Academic Coach of the Year Award:

• Jeff Voss of Jackson is currently an agriculture education teacher to students in grades 8–12 at Jackson County Central Schools. He has also been instrumental in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. He has been teaching and coaching for 23 years.
• Gwen Briesemeister of Delano is currently the Gifted and Talented Coordinator for Delano Public Schools and has been teaching for 29 years. She also organizes academic enrichments and competitions such as Math Masters, Inventor’s Congress, Word Power Challenge, Battle of the Books Competition, Science Fair, Math Olympiad, History Day, “It’s Global” Film Competition and StockStock Film Competition.

Ethics in Education Award:

• Jennifer Heggestuen of Detroit Lakes is currently a social worker for grades K–12 and provides character education and social skills instruction for grades K–6 at Lake Park-Audubon Public Schools. She has been teaching for 7 1⁄2 years.
• Jeanne Burtzel of Cold Spring currently teaches sixth grade at John Clark Elementary at ROCORI Public Schools in Rockville. She has been teaching for 15 years and is very active in promoting and organizing the district’s character education initiatives, Character First!

The WEM Educator Awards program was created by the WEM Foundation, and is administered by the Center for Academic Excellence, in partnership with members of The Minnesota Service Cooperatives (MSC). The WEM Foundation supports teachers and their important role in helping all children achieve academically. The awards program, now in its tenth year, has helped recognize education’s often “unsung heroes”—educators who daily meet the challenges and opportunities of teaching in a variety of settings.

Educators are first nominated by students, students’ parents, colleagues or community members. Those who accept the nomination provide additional information for review and consideration by the Center for Academic Excellence and a blue ribbon selection panel, which reviews and ranks the nominees.

In addition to the 6 statewide honorees, 12 educators were named as regional honorees for 2008. These names will be announced later in June.

Nominations are currently underway for the 2009 WEM Outstanding Educator Awards Program. To nominate a deserving educator, visit www.mncae.org.