Sioux City Teacher Honored at Awards Banquet

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Left to Right: Chris Bern, Janet Coon, Evelyn George

DES MOINES, IA (11/22/2011)(readMedia)-- Janet Coon, a middle school science teacher from East Middle School in Sioux City, was honored as a runner-up for the 2011 Excellence in Education award on November 15, in Des Moines. The award is sponsored by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), the Iowa Farm Bureau, WHO Radio, KDSM Fox 17, STAPLES, and Smilemakers.

"This award recognizes the truly exceptional work done by educators to help their students succeed," said Chris Bern, president of the ISEA. "When you read through all of the nominations you can see how Iowa educators consistently exceed expectations in order to change the lives of their students."

"We are especially happy to be a part of honoring the excellence, hard work, and dedication of teachers who stand as role models for students and their communities." said Evelyn George, marketing coordinator for the Iowa Farm Bureau.

Janet Coon takes learning beyond the classroom. As one of her many outside learning projects, she partnered with Western Iowa Tech students in preparing and landscaping the East Middle School site and helped create a community garden while forming a garden club. In turn, vegetables harvested from the garden are donated to needy families in the community.

"Janet constantly demonstrates that teaching and caring for her students and their families doesn't stop in the classroom," said Chris Bern, president of the ISEA. "She established a family science night working with the Ready, Set, Achieve group at East Middle School and when a family is in need, Janet organizes rummage sales to raise money to buy necessities and finds household items and clothing for the children. We are so proud of Iowa's educators and it is truly a delight to honor educators such as Janet who understand that a student's learning and growth is a comprehensive process," added Bern.

Now in its twelfth year, the 2011 Excellence in Education Award honors the countless educators across the state like Janet Coon who go the extra mile to make a difference. Coon received a gift certificate from STAPLES and Smilemakers during an award ceremony and banquet on Tuesday, November 15 at the Polk County Convention Complex in Des Moines, courtesy of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

The winner of the 2011 Excellence in Education Award is Liz Altemeier, a first-grade teacher from Grant Wood Elementary School in Cedar Rapids. Other runners-up include Scott Bertelsen a high-school speech teacher and drama coach from Forest City High School in Forest City, Debbie DeVore, a high-school English teacher and speech and theater coach from Maquoketa Valley High School in Delhi, and Pamela Nichols, a fifth-grade teacher at Lakewood Elementary School in Norwalk.

The ISEA is a professional organization made up of more than 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!