Powell educators honored with Wyoming Education Association awards

Posted 6/6/19

Powell High School teachers John Fabela and Wendy Smith recently received prestigious awards from the Wyoming Education Association (WEA). Retiring Northwest College professor of history Steve Thulin …

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Powell educators honored with Wyoming Education Association awards

The Wyoming Education Association recently recognized three Powell educators. WEA President Kathy Vetter (left) presents Wendy Smith with the WEA Green Apple Award. Also pictured are local Powell Education Association President Necole Hanks and Northwest Region President John Fabela, who received the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education Award for Teaching Excellence.
The Wyoming Education Association recently recognized three Powell educators. WEA President Kathy Vetter (left) presents Wendy Smith with the WEA Green Apple Award. Also pictured are local Powell Education Association President Necole Hanks and Northwest Region President John Fabela, who received the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education Award for Teaching Excellence.
Photo courtesy Wyoming Education Association
Posted

Powell High School teachers John Fabela and Wendy Smith recently received prestigious awards from the Wyoming Education Association (WEA). Retiring Northwest College professor of history Steve Thulin was awarded with the association’s inaugural Higher Education award named in his honor.

Fabela, who teaches band and serves as the WEA’s Northwest Region president, was recognized as an educator who exemplifies excellence in teaching. He was awarded the National Education Association Foundation for the Improvement of Education Award for Teaching Excellence sponsored by California Casualty — one of the nation’s most prestigious honor for public education.

“This award recognizes educators statewide who shine in their schools, their communities, and their own learning,” WEA said in a news release.

Fabela will join with awardees from across the nation at a gala celebration in Washington, D.C., in the coming year.

Smith, who teaches biology at PHS, was awarded the WEA Green Apple Award that celebrates members who contribute to environmental awareness. This award helps to strengthen the bond between education and the environment by bringing the efforts of teachers to the attention of the public and other educators. Smith received a grant from the National Education Association to help fund a vertical garden project at Powell High School that is both teaching students how to grow food and how to utilize that food through curriculum in the school’s experimental kitchen. Smith’s commitment to hands-on learning and engagement of students in the environment around them was applauded through this award.

Thulin, longtime faculty member at Northwest College and tireless advocate for the WEA, accepted the first-ever higher education award that was created in his honor. This award will be given in Thulin’s name for the foreseeable future to WEA higher education members who exemplify his commitment to profession, students and association leadership.

“The WEA awards educators and friends of education each year that advocate for each other, the education profession, and their students,” said WEA President Kathy Vetter. “We are so proud of this year’s recipients and the work they do for students in Wyoming. Powell has a strong association presence that helps its students and educators to shine!”

The Wyoming Education Association has supported public education in the state for 125 years and represents more than 6,000 members statewide. To learn more about WEA, visit www.wyoea.org.

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