3 Teachers Selected for National Awards by the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Money given to award winning teachers and their respective schools
March 14, 2013
Kansas City, Mo., –Each year for the past 14 years, the
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has recognized three exceptional teachers for
their outstanding commitment to teach Americanism and patriotism to their
students.
The Smart/Maher VFW
National Citizenship Education Teacher Award recipients are selected from
entries submitted by local VFW Posts in the U.S. and overseas. The entries
detail a local teacher’s act of promoting civic responsibility, flag etiquette
and patriotism in the classroom.
There are three categories of competition: elementary school
(K-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12). During the competition more than $253,000 in
awards were presented to more than 1,400 teachers at various levels in the VFW.
Matt Maddox, a fifth-grade teacher at Columbus Elementary in
Edwardsville, Ill., has been named the winner at the elementary school
level. At the middle school level,
Hunter Jones, an eighth-grade school teacher at Will James Junior High in
Billings, Mont., was named the winner.
Matthew Susin, a teacher at Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Fla.,
was selected at the high school level.
Each teacher receives the VFW Past Commander-in-Chief John
Smart award of $1,000 for their professional development and another $1,000 for
their school. In addition, all three
teachers receive an all-expense-paid trip to Louisville, Ky., where the awards
will be presented during the 2013 VFW National Convention, July 20-24.
Steve
Van Buskirk, director of VFW Programs, commented, "Next to parents, teachers
hold the key to raising up young civic-minded patriots who will perpetuate the
values that have made this nation great."
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