One spent a year commuting 150 miles each day to shore up the reading skills of Mexican Hat first-graders. Another adores geography so much he's taken his 12-year-old son to every continent but two.

Monticello's Colleen Pehrson and Corinne's Chris Brown are among 10 winners of this year's Huntsman Awards for Excellence in Education, an honor that recognizes each recipient's life-changing work with a $10,000 prize and a crystal trophy.

When they're presented their awards at a banquet Friday, the winners will join a group of statewide Huntsman Award honorees that now numbers 141. Billionaire Utah philanthropist and businessman Jon Huntsman Sr. and his wife Karen started the awards 14 years ago as a tribute to Huntsman Sr.'s father, who was a teacher.

"My whole life as a boy was centered around [my father] teaching school, and I don't want those roots discarded. They were important years for establishing a foundation for our family. They led to what we're doing today," said Huntsman, whose son, Jon Huntsman Jr., is Utah's governor. "Teachers are the bread and butter of America."

Up to 500 educators are nominated each year, and this year's winners, chosen by a panel of educators, business people and community leaders, "are remarkable people," Huntsman said.

Read more about the winners by following the links to their biographies on the right.