The Durango Education Foundation recognized five teachers and three staff members Thursday for their outstanding performance during the school year, which ends June 3.
Each of the eight received $150 from the DEF and a commemorative plaque from The Jewelry Works.
A committee composed of DEF members and past outstanding-performance winners reviewed a record 275 nominations for 122 teachers and staff members to select the winners. Nominations are solicited from students, teachers, parents and community members.
The awards have been given annually since 1998, with the ceremony hosted by Morehart Murphy Regional Auto Center.
“We’re here to honor, congratulate and thank all of you for your stellar job in educating our children,” Pat Murphy, the Murphy in Morehart Murphy, told a crowd of a couple of hundred. “We don’t have the chance to tell you personally that folks in the community appreciate what you do.”
Staff winners are:
Sharon Couch, who came out of retirement to direct the school district transportation department until a permanent supervisor was chosen.
Emily Galantos, a teacher’s aide at Durango High School who adapted and enriched lessons for a single special-needs student.
Fredrick “Troy” McCoy, a maintenance worker at Animas Valley Elementary School who keeps the grounds clean, greets buses in the morning and takes extra care with the campus greenhouse.
Elementary school recipients are:
Darren Cioppa worked with at-risk students at Riverview Elementary School and ran before- and after-school programs to involve parents in their child’s education.
Kelly Von Stroh, who works with English-language learners at Animas Valley Elementary School, was cited by nominators for her creativity, intelligence, thoughtfulness and heart.
Middle school award winners were:
Chuck Lang, who provided multiple approaches to learning, was instrumental in mentoring new teachers at Miller Middle School.
Chris Skinner at Escalante Middle School was cited for his thought-provoking science labs and his insistence on scientific reasoning and informed thinking.
The high school winner was Katharine Reed, cited for her leadership over three years that has brought new life and exponential growth in music-program participation – jazz band, jazz ensemble, orchestra and performance band – at Durango High School.
Members of the high school jazz combo – Chris Petty on piano, Lars Schwaebe on sax and Nolan Reed on violin – played and stayed to see Reed receive her award.
daler@durangoherald.com
