Rigby Teacher Named 2011 Idaho Teacher of the Year

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna announced Monday that a Rigby teacher has been honored as the 2011 Idaho Teacher of the Year.

Stefani S. Cook is a business education teacher at Rigby High School. As Idaho Teacher of the Year, she will receive $1,000 from the Idaho State Department of Education, $16,000 in technology from the SMARTer Kids Foundation, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Idaho as a nominee for the National Teacher of the Year.

“Stefani Cook represents great teachers all across Idaho. She was selected as Idaho’s Teacher of the Year for her unending passion to raise student achievement, constant innovation in the classroom, and strong will to continue to improve the craft of teaching,” Superintendent Luna said.

Superintendent Luna also noted that Cook doesn’t shy away from using technology in the classroom but has embraced new technologies and is using them to engage her students in the classroom.

Superintendent Luna announced Cook as Idaho’s 2011 Teacher of the Year in a surprise assembly at Rigby High on Monday. In accepting the award, Cook thanked all her students and the faculty at Rigby High for the role they have played throughout her career.

The Idaho Teacher of the Year program began in 1959 and has become one of the most prestigious honors in the state for teachers. The program focuses public attention on excellence in teaching that has a real impact on the students of Idaho.

Every year, school districts and charter schools across Idaho have the opportunity to nominate one teacher for the Idaho Teacher of the Year. A state selection committee representing teachers, education leaders, parents and legislators from across the state choose the Idaho Teacher of the Year from among the nominations.

To learn more about the Idaho Teacher of the Year program, please visit http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/teacher_of_year/.