MONROE - A total of $20,000 in monetary awards was presented to seven teachers from the Monroe school district who were recently honored through the Colony Brands Foundation Teacher Recognition Program. The foundation has announced the following recipients of the 2017 Colony Brands Foundation Teacher Recognition Awards: John Ditter, Monroe High School, $5,000; Sarah Compton, Northside Elementary, $3,000; Lindsay Dahmen, Monroe Middle School, $3,000; Valerie Bryson, Monroe Middle School, $3,000; Sara Ackerman, Monroe Middle and High School, $2,000; Gail Murray, Monroe Middle School, $2,000; and Michael Flanagan, Monroe Middle School, $2,000. This is the first year of the program, which was announced by the foundation last November.