MONROE — A total of $20,000 in monetary awards was presented during the Monroe school board meeting Monday to six teachers from the School District of Monroe, who were recently honored through the Colony Brands Foundation Teacher Recognition Program. 

This is the third year of the program, which was announced by the Foundation in the fall of 2016. The goal of the program is to partner with the district to help retain and attract high-quality teachers. 

The foundation committed to a five-year pilot of the program and up to $20,000 in monetary awards for each year of the pilot. 

The idea for the Teacher Recognition Program came about during ongoing discussions between the foundation and the district regarding ways to partner to make a significant impact. The foundation also recently funded an elementary Spanish curriculum for the district.

The Teacher Recognition Program recognizes that schools are a cornerstone of a strong community, and educators are pivotal in helping to inspire future community leaders. Striving to improve, innovate, and create, relentlessly pursuing excellence and generously supporting our communities are among the values at Colony Brands and for their employees, and this program puts those values into action.

The program accepted nominations from the public and teachers could also apply directly for the award.  The application requested information on the teacher’s school and community service and significant, impactful contributions they have made in the district, as well as a letter of recommendation. 

The Colony Brands Foundation is honored to announce the following recipients of the 2019 Colony Brands Foundation Teacher Recognition Awards:

Jennifer Sween – Parkside Elementary School - $2,000; Alyssa Quinn — Abraham Lincoln Elementary School — $3,000; Tom Witt — Monroe High School — $3,000; Sarah Hass-Bodell — Northside Elementary School — $4,000; Jennifer Neuenschwander — Parkside Elementary School - $4,000; and Brian Bruggeman — Monroe Middle School — $4,000.