USD 437 teachers receive Horizon Awards

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Dec 25, 2003 by Ashley Beason Capital-Journal

By Ashley Beason

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Two Auburn-Washburn teachers were named Horizon Award recipients Dec. 16 by the Kansas State Department of Education.

Kristin L'Ecuyer and Jerrod Bohn, second year teachers in the Auburn-Washburn district, will be honored formally at a luncheon in February and presented with their awards.

The Horizon Awards are presented to 28 educators yearly across the state of Kansas. The awards recognize second-year teachers who have been identified as outstanding first-year teachers. Each school district is given the opportunity to nominate an elementary and a secondary teacher of their choice for the award.

L'Ecuyer, a fifth-grade teacher at Jay Shideler Elementary School, credits her colleagues and mentors for her successes.

"My colleagues and the staff at Jay Shideler set examples for me and were there to help me if I ever had questions or needed advice," she said. "All of those people who have touched my life have helped me become the teacher I am today. Without the people who took time out of their lives to help guide me I wouldn't be here. Each one of them played a part in helping me win this award."

L'Ecuyer believes she was selected as a recipient of the Horizon Award because of the opportunities she has been given to learn from other great educators and the importance she places on communication.

"I think I was selected for the Horizon Award because I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from and work with so many great educators, and because I was taught early on how important the power of communication truly is," L'Ecuyer said. "Teachers, parents, students, as well as administration, need to interact in a way that everyone is made aware of what is going on. When everyone is working together, it can produce amazing results."

Parent support and involvement make Auburn-Washburn a uniquely wonderful environment to work in, L'Ecuyer said. She said she hopes to make a difference in the lives of her students and hopes that they leave her classroom with a passion for learning and a new self- confidence.

Bohn is a second-year English teacher at Washburn Rural High School. He served as a substitute teacher for nearly a year and a half in the Auburn-Washburn district before taking a position in the English department at the high school.

"I enjoy the opportunity to interact with the students, to help them understand and explore their creative potential," Bohn said. "I work with the best students, teachers and administrative staff in the city."

He believes he was chosen to receive the Horizon Award because of the environment he was able to create in his classroom.

"I managed to create a student-centered environment in my first year of teaching," he said. "I was willing to take risks, and my students benefited as a result."

According to Bohn, teaching will always play a positive role in his life. He has many goals for his future as a teacher and the future of his students.

"I hope that I am able to continue to learn the best activities to help my students learn and develop their creative potential, and I hope my students leave with a willingness to use their imaginations in whatever professional fields they enter," Bohn said.

One other Topeka-area teacher was named a recipient of the Horizon Award. Jessica Starr, a sixth-grade teacher at Pleasant Hill Elementary School, will also be honored in February. All recipients are invited to join the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network.

Jerrod Bohn

Kristin L'Ecuyer