March 1

“Teresa Jones is Remarkable, Inspiring, Selfless, and Encouraging to everyone in our school. She goes above and beyond in every aspect of her job, whether that’s going to her students’ athletic events on her weekends or making every member of our school staff a handmade birthday gift. She makes this district better and we are lucky to have her!“

Nominated by: Nicole Dowd, district employee

“Ms. Shipp ALWAYS goes above and beyond to ensure her students are learning!“

Nominated by: Jeane Adams, parent

“Johnny has helped my daughter solve a problem with a teacher, fix a grade from the previous school year, and personally edited college application essays. He goes above and beyond his role as “counselor” by being a true friend to my student and assisting her with her most important needs.“

Nominated by: Tonja Wade, parent

“Mrs. Terry truly meets student where they are. Everything she does is intentional. She allows students to express themselves. She deals so well with all types of students. She has an immense personal library that has inspired many to become avid readers. She explores topics and helps students understand their world.“

Nominated by: DaLynn Kutterer, parent

“Jen goes above and beyond what I would expect any teacher to do. She has dedicated her life to these kids and there is no place in the world I would rather have my son be than in her classroom. She thinks of ten creative ways to teach 1 concept so that no student falls behind. Her students and parents respect and love her.”

Nominated by: Megan Tycksen, parent

“Mrs. Terry has provided an atmosphere where my son feels incredibly safe and supported in exploring his interests. I have heard the exact same from EVERY other parent I’ve talked to who has a student in her class. She fosters a love for learning and makes every student feel important and cared for!”

Nominated by: Rachel Ward, parent

“Mrs. Terry goes above and beyond in everything she does! Her homework and her classroom is very creative and hands-on. It makes learning so powerful and meaningful. She is everything I have ever wanted for my child in a teacher: positive, upbeat, sensitive, and inspiring! My daughter RUNS to school to be with her every day! She never wants to miss a day! It’s remarkable! I WISH I could go to school every day with her, because it looks so fun!! I can’t get enough of Mrs. Terry!”

Nominated by: Tara Nelson, parent

“Mrs Terry is the absolute best teacher! She deeply cares about each student and treats them as if they were her own. She makes connections with her students and helps them dream and create! She has a passion for teaching and the love she has for her students is amazing.”

Nominated by: Jeila McGuire, parent

“Mrs. Terry goes above and beyond for her students. She spends a lot of time planning fun and unique experiences so her students learn to think in new ways.”

Nominated by: Brooke Bean, parent

“Kirk is an essential member of our faculty, as all custodial workers are, but Kirk goes far above and beyond for our students. He helps with students every day, encouraging positive behavior and coaching kids to succeed in social/emotional situations. Additionally, he works harder than any custodian I’ve ever known. Our school is beautiful, warm and inviting because of his attention and care. We could not do this job without him!“

Nominated by: Nichole Willden, district employee

“Torri is absolutely amazing! She puts so much effort into making sure everyone at Greenwood is taken care of. She is always positive, and always greets you with a smile. Greenwood is so lucky to have her!“

Nominated by: Nicole Goodman, district employee

“Torri greets each day with a smile on her face. Her positive energy radiates and helps bring a warm, welcoming environment to Greenwood. As a teacher, I love how kind Torri is when I need help or support from the office. As a parent, I love how caring and positive Torri is with my own children. She helps make our school a great place to work and attend!”

Nominated by: Shannon Leininger, parent

“Mrs Breakfield is a new teacher to Silver Lake Elementary at first my son was very worried about getting the new teacher. She had a new baby and wasn’t there for the first few weeks yet she made it appoint to come to the after school night to meet all her students which my son was excited for. Since school has started she has made it fun for my son to come to school he loves how she teaches them to learn with real life skills that will help them later in life. My son is in 6th grade and doesn’t always like or want to go to school yet she makes it fun to learn for the students.“

Nominated by: Lynetta L. Martindale, parent

“Señor Cueva genuinely cares for all his students and shows respect for them, and in turn, they respect him. He keeps control in the classroom with this mutual respect, and never has to threaten. The students get excited about his teaching, but they calm down quickly because they want to hear what he has to say. Sr. Cueva always takes the time to listen to issues and grievances, and helps the students solve the problems themselves. His teaching methods are clear, understandable and exciting, and he makes learning fun! All his students feel like he is their friend as well as an excellent teacher.”

Nominated by: Melissa Myers, parent

“My daughter has always been interested in raising a goat. She talked to Mrs. Wardell, the FFA advisor at her school. Mrs. Wardell took time to help her understand the responsibility as well as the time it would take to show a goat. She helped my daughter with the training and preparation for the show. She spent time after school and on the weekend of the show to be there to help my daughter. This was a great learning experience for my daughter and she was able to gain self confidence as well as to learn to care and train an animal to show. It is greatly appreciated.“

Nominated by: Jason Runolfsen, parent

“Mrs. Serena is always so sweet with my daughter and the other kids and is always quick to respond with questions and is always more than happy to come up with ways to help my daughter when she is having a hard time. We love Mrs Serena!“

Nominated by: Mallory Russell, parent

“Hayli has made such an amazing impact on my son’s education! My son has dyslexia and I’ve watched him improve so much this year already because of Hayli. She goes above and beyond to make sure he’s understanding what they’re learning. My son feels comfortable asking questions if he’s unsure about something. He loves her class.“

Nominated by: Terra Lyons, parent

“She is understanding and thoughtful with her students. She pushes students to go for their passions; she is a great example to me and many others.“

Nominated by: Olivia Sundwall, student

“Ms. Mckenna (or as I like to call her, Coach Abi) is a teacher that truly connects with her students. She cares about each and every one of them, and she makes sure they know it! She’s always willing to help when someone is in need, and always makes time to cheer someone up if they’re having a bad day. And it helps that she’s just downright awesome! Ms. McKenna sees every one of the teenagers in her classes as more than students. To her, we are people who are going places. She’s passionate about her job, committed to making her classroom a warm and safe environment, and she’s always willing to listen. In some ways, she’s not just a teacher- she’s a friend.“

Nominated by: Clara Cook, student

“Mr. Guinn is the best teacher I have ever had. I had him in 7th grade for Utah history and I loved his class so much. The environment around Mr. Guinn is always so great. He is always happy and kind, even if he is having a bad day. He also was our track coach and was the best. He was so encouraging and would always help me to get my work done. Whenever anyone needed extra help, he would take time out of his day to help them understand. He deserves this award so he can see how much he’s appreciated for all that he does and how much he positively affects everyone around him.“

Nominated by: Emma Means, student

“In Rachel’s class, each child feels noticed and loved because of the selfless effort and enthusiasm she puts into each relationship. She inspired the children to “fill each other’s buckets” one day, and they haven’t stopped since. She’s the cool teacher who adopted a wild tarantula for a few weeks. She sends home remarkably detailed newsletters each week that makes each parent feel involved. My daughter has anxiety and Rachel’s magic, encouraging hugs are what keeps her in school most days this year – a huge difference from last year. She’s the “disney princess” of teachers! We love her!“

Nominated by: Heather Wrigley, parent

“Mr Powell helps kids gain a love for learning and truly inspires them to be their best selves. He accepts them, has amazing amounts of patience and truly loves the kids he teaches. We are thankful to have had Mr Powell as a teacher!“

Nominated by: Jenny Stinson, student

“Mr. Powell’s dedication and love for his students are remarkable. He always goes the extra mile to make sure our students have the best participation and his concerts are excellent! He is simple the best!”

Nominated by: Helena Hawkins, parent

“Mr Poole is always ready to help a student out with anything! He notices when someone seems down or extra happy and asks them why and truly tries to get to know people! He is an amazing teacher and super easy to learn from cause it’s fun/applicable! He teaches life lessons in his classes alongside the material, and is always encouraging students to do their best.“

Nominated by: Angela Cluff, student

“Mr. Poole always greets students by names. He makes sure everyone understands what he’s teaching. He doesn’t make class boring and has object lessons to help things make sense. He also is nice to every student.”

Nominated by: Emma Guinn, student

“Jennye is the most dedicated school employee I’ve ever met. She’s quick to help out with anything you need, remembers kids names (there’s over 700 kids!), and I haven’t seen her miss a single PTA meeting or any school function! She goes above and beyond to keep things running smoothly and making sure kids are taken care of.“

Nominated by: Krysti Staheli, parent

“She has never failed to make me feel welcome and safe in her classroom. There is no other place in the school where I have felt so accepted and appreciated. She often tells me how much she appreciates me and she is glad that I am in her class. If it wasn’t for her I would feel completely alone at school and unable to trust and talk to anyone. I can’t think of a better teacher and even a better person that I know. She is outstanding and absolutely deserves the RISE award for making me and others feel like rising up and touching the sky everyday.“

Nominated by: Phaydra Kennedy, student

“Holly Palmer has been our son’s special ed teacher for the past 2 years. She loves our boy! She’s so animated and excited when she speaks to him that he immediately is drawn to her (he is non-verbal and non-ambulatory). She and his whole team visited him this past Monday though it was their holiday break because he has been critically ill. She’s totally amazing always. Smart, intuitive with these special kids, and so very caring.”

Nominated by: Martha Wilks Harrison, parent

“Amanda is the most amazing instructional coach anyone could ask for. She is always in classrooms working with teachers and students. She goes to team collaborations weekly to review data and see where she is needed. She has turned an empty classroom into a space teachers can use to collaborate, study or just relax. She is one of the most loved and sought after people at Deerfield. She is always ready and willing to help teachers, students, and support staff, people love her input and advice. We are beyond lucky to have her!“

Nominated by: Jennifer Watkins, district employee

“Miss DeWitt has taught my son SO much in the 2 months that he has had her as a teacher. She has taught him much more than basic education but about the world and appropriate behavior. She has done it in a way that he has loved her as a teacher and I truly believe he will remember her as a favorite teacher the rest of his life. She has also sparked a love of reading in my son.”

Nominated by: Rachel Hart, parent

“Kristen is more than just a coach. She cares for every single one of her students like we are her children. She does her best to make sure everyone will succeed in life not just now, but in the future as well. She has saved my life I love my coach so much there is no one as deserving of this award than her.“

Nominated by: Allison Heath, student

“She is so patient and caring with the ballroom team and so happy and bright.”

Nominated by: Alyssa Baker, student

“She has inspired our team to be better and work hard. She is so understanding and kind!♥️”

Nominated by: Jacki Wright, student

“Kristen is an amazing coach! She has been my coach at Lehi for 2 years and was a coach at Meadow Elementary for several years. She coach my younger brother and sister at Meadow. She loves all of hear students and wants us to do our very best. She goes out of her way to make everyone feel important. She also loves to find ways for us as a team to go and help serve the community.”

Nominated by: Millie Noyes, student

“Courtney not only runs Cedar Valley as the principal, she cares so much about those kids. She would do anything for them and is so kind. She has made such a difference in their lives and has made the school a great place to be!”

Nominated by: Elizabeth Marinos, parent

“She selflessly makes learning fun and engaging, and uses her time to encourage students to do their best and to mentor them both in and out of the classroom. On top of her regular classroom responsibilities, she spends countless hours creating musical programs and performances that give children confidence and skills that will help them succeed for the rest of their lives. All of her extra time and energy is in unpaid and applauded, but makes our school and community a more unified and creative and enjoyable place to live and learn.”

Nominated by: Sarah Lewis, parent

“Ms Reid is a fantastic teacher. She works hard to make her classroom engaging and interesting. The students love the ways that she brings literary concepts to life. She also puts in hours and hours of time outside of school with the school chorus and the school musical. She makes both of these amazing experiences for the children through the extensive rehearsal process and then the performances at the end. She even takes one on one time to coach the kids on their vocal abilities in the songs they are singing. Michelle Reid is definitely worthy of the RISE award.”

Nominated by: Katie Hurd, parent

“Mike Larson truly loves the students at Grovecrest Elementary. He also is very supportive of the parents as well as the students. I have a life skills child and met with Mike to discuss My son and things that I wanted to have happen in the classroom. Mike was great about making my requests all come together and I didn’t have to check up on it to make sure it happened. He truly is inspiring to the students as well and makes them feel needed and wanted.“

Nominated by: Cheryl Drake, parent

“Mrs. Kennedy has taught all 4 of our kids. She has shown them all unconditional love and has taught them many important things over the years. She has become a part of our family because of her kindness, love, and dedication to our children. Mrs. Kennedy is the standard in education. If everyone were more like her, the world would be a much better place. Our family will never forget Mrs. Kennedy and will forever be grateful to her for all that she has done for us.“

Nominated by: Kyle Bilbao, parent

“Tiffinie Littlefield is our Assistant Principal. All day long she is working with and for students and teachers. The students go to her office to sit there with her when they are feeling anxiety or sadness, the teachers and aides all feel free to ask her advice, get input and action with solutions to the many problems that are besetting the teachers and helping the students which have many more emotional needs than years past. Tiffinie gets right in the trenches and helps, creating many activities, incentives and the positive feeling in the school that a great leader establishes.“

Nominated by: Sara Mead, parent

“Mrs. Benson is always looking out for her students and striving to help them reach their full potential. She has been great with our son and really seems to care for her students and their well-being.“

Nominated by: Whitney Shurtliff, parent

“Mr. Carter has created such an incredible family with the bands at Lake Mountain Middle School. He teaches, sets expectations and inspires and encourages growth! He makes so much effort to encourage growth towards marching band, and encourages opportunities now to see how that fits for families and to inspire kids to work towards this in the future. He is sharp, awesome, really selfless with his time. Responsive to emails and inquiries. He’s set an amazing tone for 7th grade and on for our son and our family. Music is a language to be learned and he makes it fun and achievable with effort.“

Nominated by: Emily D. Seegmiller, parent

March 1

Contact Us

Search

Families and Community

Employees

Registration is postponed until further notice.

Steps to Register

01.

02.

03.

04.