Four DMPS Teachers Win 2014 Educator of the Year

Four Des Moines Public Schools teachers are 2014 Educator of the Year award winners.  The awards are presented by The Rotary Club of Des Moines.

• Amy Erwin, a first grade teacher at Madison Elementary
• Amelia Kissell, a seventh grade science teacher at Brody Middle School
• Mindy Euken, a Spanish teacher at Roosevelt High School
• Karen Sissel, a theatre arts teacher at Lincoln High School

A Rotary committee reviews the applications and selects the recipients. Each winner receives a certificate and a monetary award, which recipients often use for classroom
materials or community service activities. The awards are being handed out Thursday, April 3rd at the RCDM’s meeting at the Wakonda Club.

The following is a news release issued by The Rotary Club of Des Moines.

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The Rotary Club of Des Moines (RCDM) is proud to announce the 2014 Educator of
the Year award winners. Awards this year are being given to two high school teachers,
a middle school teacher and an elementary school teacher whose dedication and
devotion to teaching provides a great value to our community.
This year’s winners are Amy Erwin, a first grade teacher at Madison Elementary;
Amelia “Amy” Kissell, a seventh grade science teacher at Brody Middle School;
Mindy Euken, a Spanish teacher at Roosevelt High School; and Karen Sissel, a
Theatre Arts teacher at Lincoln High School.

The teachers were nominated by their principals. They then completed a written
narrative describing aspects of how their teaching provides excellence in education. A
Rotary committee reviews the applications and selects the recipients. Each winner
receives a certificate and a monetary award, which recipients often use for classroom
materials or community service activities. The awards are being handed out Thursday,
April 3rd at the RCDM’s meeting at the Wakonda Club.

Des Moines school teachers have considered the annual recognition from the Rotary
Club of Des Moines a huge honor for the more than twenty years the awards have
been handed out.

The Rotary Club of Des Moines is made up of 300 business leaders from the Des
Moines metro area. It is the oldest and largest club in the state of Iowa. Rotary
International has 1.2 million members in 200 countries. The object of Rotary is: The
development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; high ethical standards in
business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations;
and the dignifying of each Rotarians occupation as an opportunity to serve society; the
application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community
life; the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a
world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.