HELENA – The Helena Education Foundation (HEF) has named 7 educators as their Let’s Talk about Great Teachers honorees for 2018.
This year’s recognized educators are: Sarah Stankowiak of Four Georgians Elementary School, Manny Garza of Helena High School, Sam Leonard of Access to Success, Maureen Hunthausen of Helena Middle School, Christina Siemensi of Capital High School, Sarah Urban of Capital High School and Ashley Fish of Jim Darcy Elementary School.
The teachers were surprised in their classrooms on Wednesday October by HEF representatives who thanked them for their work and dedication to their students.
HEF worked with administrators, teaching staff and parents to select the honorees based upon exhibiting extra effort and creating exceptional experiences for their students.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Capital High teacher Christina Siemenski, “this is just really cool to be recognized recognized.”
Siemenski created the Niceness is Priceless club at CHS, in memory of her student Mariah Swingley who had started a school movement encouraging random acts of kindness.
HEF Executive Director Lisa Cordingley said it’s important that we celebrate what these teacher do for this community.
“If you don’t have kids actually in their classrooms, or if you have been out of school for a while I think sometimes you forget that the entire vibrancy of Helena, of our economy and what makes it a great place to work and play starts in our public school classrooms,” said Cordingley.
The educators will be formally recognized at the Helena Education Foundation’s Great Conversations dinner on Wednesday November 14 at the Great Northern Hotel.
For more information about the Helena Education Foundation and the work they do visit here.
