Gary Twitchell
principal
South Summit High School, Kamas
Why he became an educator: "I like coaching athletics, enjoy kids and working with young people. Teaching was an opportunity to combine the things I wanted to do."
Gary Twitchell's first challenge as principal of South Summit High School was to head a school that had not been accredited since 1991.
"It was a surprise. I didn't know about it until someone called to ask when we could comply," Twitchell recalls.
That was four years ago. The school now is accredited, and test scores have increased every year since 2004, as have high school exit-exam success rates. South Summit School District Superintendent Timothy Smith credits Twitchell's leadership.
Twitchell began working toward re-accreditation for the school by organizing an election for the school's first community council. Targets were selected and prioritized. The first to be addressed was the low level of academic performance.
Twitchell acknowledges he met some "you are not from here" challenges. In this case, "here" includes Kamas Valley, Woodland, Oakley and Francis.
"All small towns have a sense of tradition. South Summit's longtime traditions included a week out of school to practice for the junior prom. Homecoming took almost three full days out of school. Coming from Alta High School in Sandy, I had a big-school mentality," Twitchell said. Prom and homecoming took a back seat to class attendance.
He helped students improve their writing skills by requiring them to write in all classes, and obtained a computer program to help them prepare for exit exams.
Stomping on tradition did not sit well with some parents.
"It would be safe to say that Mr. Twitchell shook things up, and things needed to be shaken," registrar Valerie Marchant said.
"The school needed to meet accreditation standards. It is true that parents like things to be the same as when they went to the school, but our children need to meet today's challenges."
- Judy Magid
Jan Vanderhooft
chemistry teacher
Brighton High School, Cottonwood Heights
Why he become an educator: "I suddenly saw the value and opportunity to serve."
As a graduate student, Jan Vanderhooft found himself spending more time preparing for class as a teacher's assistant than doing the research for his thesis.
"Someone suggested I really ought to consider teaching so I would stay out of trouble," he said.
Back then, though, the 54-year-old advanced-placement and honors chemistry teacher considered himself too egotistical for the profession.
Today, it's a different story. He jokes that his decision to teach was like "getting a call to the priesthood."
"The vow of poverty came immediately to mind."
Colleagues say he is bright, capable and dedicated.
"He is the only student in my 44 years at [the University of] Utah who took and passed the Ph.D. preliminary exams in two major areas, but he discovered he wanted to teach," chemistry professor Ronald Ragsdale said.
Katie Densley, Brighton's chemistry department chair, said she has learned most of her chemistry from Vanderhooft by following his style and methodology.
"He truly cares about the students' understanding not just going through the motions, but looking at what is going on underneath, taking ideas and internalizing them," Densley said.
Vanderhooft said it doesn't help anyone's self-esteem or growth to make a class too easy. "Kids see through our attempts to make them feel good by having them do nothing," Vanderhooft said. "They want to do something significant."
For the past several years, 99 percent of his students have passed the AP chemistry exam. Colleagues see it as an incredible accomplishment that only a few have come close to matching. "Nobody scores better than mine," Vanderhooft said of his students. "It makes me feel I'm doing my job the way I'm supposed to."
- Roxana Orellana
Pamela Aoyagi
first-grade teacher
Longview Elementary School, Murray
Memorable moment: "At the end of the year when I . . . asked them what they've learned . . . one child responded, 'When I came to first grade I didn't know how to read and now I can.' "
For most of the week, Pamela Aoyagi is booked, but not because of personal matters. There are recitals, soccer games and dance performance invitations that come from her first-grade students and their parents.
"There isn't a lot of free time this time of the year," Aoyagi said.
After 23 years of teaching, Aoyagi still can't see herself doing anything else. "They love you. They write you notes and tell you how much they like you. They become like your children. It feeds your soul to work with children and it nourishes you every day," she said.
Aoyagi always knew she wanted to be a teacher. "I love children. I like them more than adults. They're very honest." She recalled once looking at a geode with the class when one student turned to her and told her she was like a geode: "kind of ugly on the outside but pretty on the inside."
In the classroom, Aoyagi is known to bring her lessons to life by dressing up in characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Cat in the Hat and Minnie Mouse.
"Mrs. Aoyagi introduces the core curriculum in the most creative manner," said Betsy Hunt, former Longview principal.
Aoyagi said it helps to catch students' attention. "They're right there with you and you can teach because they don't really know they're being taught."
Knowing that you can make a difference in someone's life is something all teachers can relate to, according to Aoyagi.
Marsha Newman, a fifth-grade teacher at Longview, said no child is excluded or subject to failure in Aoyagi's classroom.
"All students are made to feel special and accepted in her class," she said in nominating Aoyagi.
- Roxana Orellana
Théo Anderson
fourth-grade teacher
Providence Elementary School, Providence
Why she became an educator: "It's all I've really wanted to do. My mom says since I was 4 years old I wanted to be a teacher. I used to play school all the time."
Talking into Théo Anderson's fourth-grade class is like walking into another city.
Students hold regular town council meetings to make sure the bank, zoo, law enforcement offices and library of Discoveryville - the city set up in the four walls of Anderson's classroom - are all functioning properly and elected officials are making good decisions.
"She's one of the teachers who goes above and beyond to reach every student in her class," said Jill Reed, a parent who nominated Anderson for the award. "She knows every student in her class personally and whether they struggle in school or excel, she finds what appeals to them."
Anderson adapts her lesson plans for all learning types.
On a day when a book report is due, some students will simply hand in their typed sheet of paper. But others will hand in plays or their own books they made using the themes in the novel.
That ability to adapt may come from the 20 years Anderson spent teaching special education before taking on her fourth-grade class at Providence Elementary.
"I try to meet the needs of all kids. I accept each kid for who they are," she said. "Regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, I try to support them in every way. I don't expect everyone to learn the same way."
But Anderson goes beyond the classroom, sending students postcards from her summer vacations visiting relatives in Ohio or camping with her family in the Sawtooth Mountains, and she still sends Christmas and birthday cards to her past students each year.
"I think that if you show you have an interest in each student for the way he or she is, and you don't expect them to be the same, they respect that," she said. "They work harder and want to come to school because they are happy here and they feel secure because they are valued as a person."
- Sheena McFarland
Vicki Young
social studies teacher
Central Davis Junior High School, Layton
Why she became an educator: "When I was 16, I worked at a swimming pool where my boss was a P.E. teacher. From then on, I knew I wanted to teach."
icki Young has spent 30 years teaching students that a world outside their junior high bubble exists, and that they can help make it better.
The social studies teacher has engaged her students in activities from raising money for Paralympic teams in Armenia to traveling with students to Europe to hear the Olympic bid announcement to hosting student-led "Meet the Candidates" nights for local politicians.
"She is taking students out into the world and bringing the world to our classrooms and school," said Kevin Puzey, who has worked with Young for 20 years. "She is a master organizer of students. I've never seen anybody better at getting people involved in projects. It gives the whole school an added sense of unity, pride and energy."
Last year, Young's class gathered 74,000 pennies - each representing one Layton resident - to present to Layton's mayor at a candidate night to remind him that each person's voice counted. The money helped pay for the evening's refreshments, and the rest went to Central Davis Junior High's Sub for Santa drive.
When students engage themselves in civic and service learning, she said, they tend to understand their curriculum better.
"When students get to do things beyond their book work, it's very helpful in their learning," she said.
While Young started as a P.E. teacher, she quickly fell in love with social studies, and wanted to share her passion with her students.
"They aren't going to learn there's a world beyond junior high unless you get them involved," Young said. "I want them to see how lucky they are to live in America and in Utah."
- Sheena McFarland
Ty Scott Robinson
science teacher
Provo High School, Provo
Why he became an educator: "To share and feed his love of science."
Ty Robinson's classroom isn't as neat as other science teachers' rooms. Some might even call it a "disorganized mess" with "rocks everywhere" and "little projects all over the place." But Robinson has a system and his lessons have turned scads of students on to science.
The veteran earth and geology teacher has seen plenty of students go on to prestigious schools, yet one of his fondest memories is of a quiet, at-risk student with poor grades.
"I kind of took the kid under my wing and started . . . showing him some of the things you could see under the microscope," said Robinson, who encourages students to bring in sand and rock samples to view.
Soon the student was working on a larger research project. He ended up going to college, intending to major in "geology or some kind of science," Robinson said.
Parents and students praise Robinson for his ability with both gifted students and those at risk. Ten current and former students wrote testimonials for his awards nomination. They praised his hands-on methods, enthusiasm and personal attention.
"What I really love about Mr. Robinson is how he incorporates his life experiences in teaching us," wrote student Taylor King. "I will always remember these lessons."
Robinson's colleagues see him as a kind, intelligent man who's always willing to do a little extra. Fellow teacher Donny Bills notes how Robinson took on an earth science class specifically for students learning English, makes pancakes or waffles for early-morning meetings of the science club (and any other students who show up) and hosts lots of field trips.
"He does a lot of hands-on activities with the kids, not just the normal textbook stuff," Bills said. "The kids love to work with him."
- Nicole Stricker
Hesther Rippy
volunteer
Lehi-Rippy Literacy Center, Lehi
What she'll do with the money: "I hope to erect a sculpture for the center of children reading."
Hesther Rippy knew little about tutoring when she approached Lehi's Sego Lilly Elementary School in 1997.
"She . . . showed up at my door and said, 'I've been called to be a reading assistant in my [LDS] stake. How can I be of assistance to you?' " former Principal Glenn Martin said. He offered a small room and Rippy set to work.
"She would come to my school and stand in my front entry and ask [parents], 'Do you know anyone who struggles with reading and would you like to help?' "
Three years later the program had outgrown the school and Rippy was asking the Lehi City Council for a larger space.
The Lehi-Rippy Literacy Center now encompasses 2,000 square feet in the Lehi Library, a "southern campus" to teach math and a "west campus" building for 4- and 5-year-olds, Rippy said. The center's 200-odd volunteers have tutored more than 800 students this year alone.
Rippy spends the better part of most days supervising more than 200 volunteers and rounding up resources. She envisions a center twice as big in five years.
Yet one of her most memorable students walked in the first day they opened, Rippy said. Joe Pratt had been a bright child before a near-drowning at age 3. His mother Jan brought him to the literacy center 12 years later after his junior high school teacher told her he'd likely never read.
Three years later, Joe left the center reading a little and dreaming of tutoring one day. For Rippy, that's the most rewarding part: turning struggling kids into tutors for others.
"Children come in with their heads down, embarrassed and ashamed they can't read," she said. "We talk to them and say, 'When you get to where you're reading on grade level would you be willing to tutor someone below you?' . . . That's the carrot we dangle."
- Nicole Stricker
Doug Bingham
principal
Wasatch Junior High School, Millcreek
Why he became an educator: "I always wanted to make a difference with young people."
The flames that decimated the classrooms of Wasatch Junior High may forever define how people think of Principal Doug Bingham. While he is respected and appreciated for his other attributes, it was his strength and patience, his diplomacy and perseverance that made him a hero in a time of tragedy.
He helped the faculty believe the school was more than bricks and mortar, but truly a community of people and ideals. They had not lost everything.
"I never saw him crack," said Paul Watson, Wasatch music teacher. "I don't know how he pulled that off."
After helping rescue teachers' precious lesson plans - at least what could be retrieved - from the charred, smoky remains, Bingham worked countless hours as the school transitioned.
Michelle Davidson, a parent, recalls driving by the school's new location late at night, sometimes around midnight, and seeing his car.
Nearly two years after the fire, the Wasatch Junior High community is quick to point out that the flames only showcased Bingham's leadership. He is so much more.
Davidson watched the principal perform in a student play this spring and was struck by how his "wise and beloved schoolmaster" character in "Brigadoon" reflected who he is.
"He's really gifted in his connection with adolescents," she said.
Not a principal to be feared, this is someone the students shout greetings to in the hallways. And he has worked to know the names of most of them.
With his Huntsman award in hand, Bingham may finally get around to doing something he's put off for a while: take a break.
"I really haven't taken a vacation since the fire," he said.
- Julia Lyon
Janine Smith
principal
Parkview Elementary School, Salt Lake City
Why she became an educator: "I just really loved being with children and maybe I'm a child at heart."
The may not be much taller than some of her students, but Parkview Elementary Principal Janine Smith probably outweighs them with her energy.
"She's like a little pixie," said Jack Schiefer, a school volunteer. "I've never seen a principal with as much enthusiasm as she has."
At the helm of a school where more than 95 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, she has helped bring success to a school that was "like a melting ice cream cone - spreading out in too many directions to accomplish any good" before Smith arrived, in the words of school secretary Colleen McKnight.
"Janine was able to see the bigger picture and bring it to the school, and implement just the right programs to start the forward momentum," McKnight wrote.
When Schiefer heard about the Huntsman award, he immediately thought of Smith. He describes the length of her workday as "staggering," sometimes including visits to sick students in the hospital.
"Once she knows what's right, her tenacity is unparalleled," said Schiefer. "I've told her often if she knew how good she was she'd go into business."
Formerly an elementary school teacher for several decades, Smith hoped by becoming a principal "to help teachers find the fun in teaching and help children see learning can be really fun."
From weekly dance classes to a "rise and read" reading program at breakfast, the school engages its students in exceptional ways.
"I hear people all the time who work here tell me this is the greatest place to be," she said.
- Julia Lyon
Rex Woodward
When Rex Woodward walks into a classroom, he doesn't go alone. A small support team joins him each year. There's Map Dude, who teaches world geography; and the epic poet Homer, who recounts ancient tales of war and conquest; and finally President Roosevelt, who talks while popping wheelies in his wheelchair.
The characters - all played by Woodward, dressed in toga, tights, or cape - are part of the social studies teacher's extraordinary effort to bring world history alive.
In his hands, history isn't a "sleeping aid," said former pupil Alyssa Murphy. It "keeps you wide awake and listening. When the bell rings, you just wish it hadn't."
Woodward lives for those moments. "These are just little Utah kids. They've hardly been outside the state, and they're just learning about the world," said the 30-year teaching veteran. "Their little lights are coming on all the time."
One of the ways he sparks that light is by putting his students into a particular time and place. "Make it so they're stuck," he said.
When they study ancient Rome, for example, he divides the group into patricians, who write unfair laws, such as "no recess," and plebeians, who are stuck with the laws until they elect a tribune to veto them.
Woodward's students become knights and kings; they fight wars with marbles and rubber bands; they joust and take up "Spartan training."
As a colleague, he takes on extra duties, tinkers with computers, offers advice to new teachers, heads up special projects, and motivates struggling students just as well as the advanced ones, according to fellow teachers and administrators.
Lucky for them the 54-year-old teacher changed his mind at the last minute about retiring next year. Later that day, he learned he had won the Huntsman award.
"He really is a master teacher. Our students, our staff, and our community are lucky to have him in education," said Scott Jeppesen, a former teacher and principal at White Pine.
- Jennifer Barrett
