Don't Forget to Say 
'Thank You' to Teachers

    John Snider, Arch Coal's Vice President of Public Affairs, eastern division says, "I'm very thankful for family, friends and the land in which we live," he says.
    "Because I see the nominations that are made for my company's teacher awards program, I also may be more aware than others of the many outstanding teachers in our classrooms around the state," says Snider. "We count on these teachers to teach, inspire and lead. I'm thankful for all they do for us." 
    Two recent nominations, from different parts of the state, demonstrate the outstanding teachers we have in West Virginia, says Snider. "This would be an excellent time for other West Virginians to let us know about terrific teachers, too."
    Stacey Fischer, a parent of children at Hayes Middle School in St. Albans, praises Carmen Kostelansky for 'truly loving to teach.' 
    "She has a desire for her students to learn and to excel in life," says Fischer. "She is caring, understanding, warm and enthusiastic. Mrs. Kostelansky is dedicated to making her school a place to learn and thrive for all students."
    "Not only that, she is very involved with students' lives through the extracurricular activities she sponsors, such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Girls Volleyball, tennis team, drill team and assisting the band director. These are just a few examples," says Fischer.
    "I nominated her on behalf of many, many grateful parents and students. The students love her and she loves them," says Fischer.
    The second nomination came from Morgantown. Virginia Gross nominated her co-worker, Suha Beck, at Riverside Elementary. 
    "Suha is a positive role model for her students as well as her co-workers," says Gross. "She firmly believes all students can succeed."
    "She expects her students to be high achievers by building their confidence. Each year, her class has the highest attendance rate at our school, because the students love the learning that takes place in her class," says Gross.
    Beck is chair of the school's new research-based, school-wide discipline program, which is a pilot for the state. "Under her direction, we believe we can improve academics by teaching positive behaviors instead of relying on negative consequences and punishments," according to Gross. "I nominated Suha for the Arch Coal award because she is changing students' and teachers’' lives at our school," says Gross.
    Arch Coal awards 10 excellent classroom teachers a $2,500 unrestricted cash award. Additionally, the West Virginia Education Association partners with the company in supporting the awards program and offers, through the West Virginia Foundation for the Improvement of Education, $1,000 grants to the schools of the winning teachers.
    The company's teacher recognition program also has the support of the West Virginia Department of Education.
    Arch Coal, Inc. is the nation’s second largest coal producer and mines clean-burning, low-sulfur coal exclusively. Nearly 2,000 people are employed at Arch's operations in WV. cl

    
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