News : Mrs. Steffen, \'John Scriven Committee\' earn regional education honors

Kelly Steffen is the 2013 VSEA Teacher of the Year; Mindy McClintock presented the honor Wednesday.

Mindy McClintock presents Don Eells the VSEA Friend of Education Award.

The 'John Scriven' Committee received local and regional awards in honor of their efforts.

2013 VS retirees: Bev Lint, Connie Zenk, Susan Much, Karen Blair, Linda Davenport.

Two of the top 2013 awards from the education organization that serves Vinton-Shellsburg and 30 other area school districts were presented to V-S teachers this week.

During the annual Vinton-Shellsburg Education Association award reception on Wednesday, Kelly Steffen received the Regional Teacher of the Year Award. And a group of teachers who together became known as the John Committee, received the Friend of Education Team Award.

Both honors came from the ECUU (East Central UniServ Unit), one of the regions of the Iowa Education Association.

The John Committee included Marty Annis, Joyce Erickson, Sarah Mathis, Stephanie Miller, Mindy McClintock and Jeannine Peyton. The Tilford staff members earned the award after organizing the fund-raising effort for Tilford custodian John Scriven, who died in January of cancer. Fund-raising efforts in December brought in more than $10,000 to help cover Scriven’s medical expenses.

Both Mrs. Steffen and the John Committee also received identical awards from the VSEA, which forwarded their nomination information to the ECUU.

ECUU representatives Nancy Notton-Stumpff and Karen Hartlep presented the awards. They said EEUU award selection committee members were impressed that Mrs. Steffen’s students were among those writing in support of her nomination for teacher of the year; they also said that the impact of the “John Committee” will be something that affects the lives of Tilford students for years to come.

“Kelly Steffen is one of the greatest teachers I have had the pleasure of learning from,” wrote Ben Hyland. “She is somebody who cares. She cares about her students; she cares about their problems.”

Ben cited Mrs. Steffen’s passion for education and her work in projects beyond the traditional teaching, including her work with local veterans, and a variety of field trips as well as the recent historical trip to the East Coast.

Riley Ries wrote, “Mrs. Steffen has truly brought life to the events of the past, like no other teacher of mine has done before.. she is a role model inside and outside of the classroom.”

Friend of Education: Don Eells

The VSEA also honored Don Eells as the “Friend of Education,” thanking him for his work and generosity in supporting several school projects and classes, including his efforts as a mentor to students in the Alternative High School.

Retirees

The VSEA also honored the district's retirees, who included: Bev Lint, Connie Zenk, Susan Much, Karen Blair and Linda Davenport.