This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eleven Utah educators have been selected by the Huntsman family for this year's Huntsman Awards for Excellence in Education.
Each year, a principal and two teachers from the elementary, middle school and high school levels are selected, as well as one school volunteer and a special-education teacher.
Winners were notified last week by Karen Huntsman, who surprised the educators at their schools.
"Every group stands out," Huntsman said. "They're all uniquely different. And they touch the lives of students."
Winners each will receive $10,000 and will be honored at a dinner May 15 at Salt Lake City's Little America Hotel.
• Stephen Oliverson, principal of Provo's Provost Elementary for 10 of his 25 years as an educator. Under his leadership, Provost has received accolades as a high-performing Title 1 school.
• Paula Vee Kerr, teacher at Midway Elementary, brings three decades of education experience to her first-grade classroom. She is known for her emphasis on reading and incorporating music into her lessons.
• Pam Engles, a 26-year veteran teacher at American Fork's Forbes Elementary, known for taking on many roles at the school, from serving as chairwoman of the community council to leading collaborative teams of teachers.
• Teri Cutler, in her fifth year as principal at Wellsville's Willow Valley Middle School, credited for working long days and maintaining an open-door policy for students, parents and teachers.
• Rosemary Jacklin, history teacher at Holladay's Bonneville Junior High, known for teaching her students citizenship — both in her classroom and through schoolwide service projects.
• Matthew Woolley, a biology teacher at Highland's Mountain Ridge Junior High, promotes scientific discovery through hands-on learning activities.
• Terry Ogborn, 28-year principal of St. George's Millcreek High, has made food and health care available for students of the alternative high school, including creating the Millcreek High Health Center in 2011.
• Kimberlee Call, a Davis High math teacher. Her students routinely ace the AP test, including four years when her classroom had a 100 percent pass rate.
• Leigh VandenAkker, social studies teacher at East High and former Utah Teacher of the Year, developed her own course, called Techniques for Tough Times, which teaches life skills.
• Kathy Gowan, a volunteer at Orem's Windsor Elementary, helped create the After-School Literacy Tutoring Help, or WEALTH program, which tutors children in reading.
• Alyssa Larsen, special-education teacher at Spanish Fork High, introduces programs that recognize students' individual talents, including peer tutoring and talent shows.
— Benjamin Wood