The Kati Fischer Teacher of the Year Award program and the Wasatch Education Foundation recently acknowledged eight Wasatch County School District teachers for their dedication and leadership. The Fischer family sponsors the Wasatch School District Teacher of the Year Award, with fanfare and celebration at each of the district's eight schools.
The 2021 winners of theWasatch Education Foundation’s Kati Fischer Teacher of the Year Award were:
- Stephanie Prather, Daniels Canyon Elementary, Kindergarten
- Kristin Hellmann, Heber Valley Elementary, Special Education
- Kristi Davis, J.R. Smith Elementary School, Counselor
- Angie George, Midway Elementary School, Special Education
- Fawn Gardner, Old Mill Elementary, 5th Grade
- Lindsay Benson, Rocky Mountain Middle School, Special Education
- Karina Zachary, Timpanogos Middle School, Math
- Drew Camps-Wofford, Wasatch High School, History & Geography
Director of the Ed Foundation Board and Wasatch County School District Public Information Officer Kirsta Albert said the award has been around for years. Still, the organization changed the name after board member Rocky Fischer offered to sponsor the program in honor of his daughter, Kati.
"His daughter, Kati, is just a delightful teenager who just sparks cheer and just a lovely feeling and everyone she comes across,” she said. “And so, in her honor, the Fischer family established the teacher of the year award in her name.”
She said each school decides its criteria to acknowledge its teachers. She said most of the schools include parents in the selection process.
"The impacts day-to-day, with their students, reaches into the home on many occasions,” she said. “And it's so lovely to see how much these teachers are beloved by their students, by their peers. So, it takes a different form in each of the schools, and we allow the building principals to decide how that looks."
The awards can go to a cross-section of teachers at various places in their careers. Albert said special education teachers face significant challenges even in non-pandemic times.
“These are teachers all the way from those who have been just teaching a few years after being one of our interns and then coming in at the high school, which is the case in Drew Camps Wofford,” Albert said. “And we have teachers who have been teaching for literally decades. This year, in particular, and unsurprisingly, we had a number of special education teachers, and these are definitely individuals who are called in a very special way to help our most vulnerable students in the district."
Albert said the recognition and monetary award is one way to show educators they are valued.
"So, it's a really a great opportunity to honor each of them. And not only do they get Flowers, and a basket, and the recognition from their peers and their school community, they also got a $1,000 check."
The eight recognized teachers represent each of the five elementary schools, two middle schools, and Wasatch High School. Next year's awards will include the Wasatch Learning Academy, dedicated to online learning. The challenges this year show the critical need for quality teachers instructing students online.
