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Show Outstanding teachers to be honored U S West is looking for a few good teachers. As part of a $20 million commitment commit-ment to support educational excellence excell-ence in its 14-state territory, U S West has established a recognition program for outstanding teachers, called "Reaching Beyond Classroom Clas-sroom Walls." The program will provide three winning teachers with salary and expenses to take a full year off to pursue professional development. "They would be free to do anything any-thing they want. We would ask only that they demonstrate the relationship re-lationship of their proposed activities activi-ties to their future plans as teachers and that they intend to remain in the same communities they presently pre-sently serve," said W. Mack Lawrence, Lawr-ence, Utah vice president and CEO. He said the company is asking for nominations from parents, schools, educational organizations, organiza-tions, or other groups or individuals indi-viduals who believe a specific teacher deserves recognition. "We're looking for elementary and secondary teachers who make extraordinary efforts to make the world of education come alive. For instance, the athletic director who starts a drug education program, the art teacher who builds a kiln with students, or the teacher who is developing software to improve students' writing skills," Lawrence Lawr-ence said. In short, we seek teachers who have developed innovative educational educa-tional strategies that go beyond traditional tra-ditional classroom expectations," he said. Lawrence said eleven other state finalists will each receive a $5,000 recognition award to also be used for professional development. He said no similar sabbatical program exists in the region. Finalists will be selected by mid-April mid-April in each of the company's 14 states and will then be invited to Denver for personal interviews. The three outstanding teacher winners win-ners and other finalists will be announced at the U S West annual shareowner meeting on May 6. In announcing the educational initiative in late October, U S West Chairman and Chief Executive Jack MacAllister said teachers are "a vital resource. Their efforts on behalf of students are the key to our future and inextricably tied to economic development and prosperity." pros-perity." In addition to the outstanding teacher program, the educational initiative includes support for programs prog-rams to help ensure educational excellence ex-cellence at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. "We see a renewed commitment to education in our states and we have a strong desire to help in this educational renaissance," MacAllister MacAl-lister said. An information, packet on the program can be obtained by writing to Reaching Beyond Classroom Walls, Mountain Bell Public Relations, Rela-tions, 250 Bell Plaza, Rm. 1605, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. ." Vs'7 -y-y. k---' ; i::Jv .-i .. ; V? W .. - III ill M:wmm:mSMsimwm PHOTO BY DONETA GATHERUM Stacy Kennedy, Tori Wardell, Joni Johansen and Kristin Smedley, are officers of 'CLASS' cubs lead against student substance abuse. |