Michelle Anderson, a member of the Jefferson County Education Association, was recently named secondary teacher of the year for the Jefferson School District. Anderson teaches at Rigby Middle School.
“Michelle’s impact goes far beyond her classroom walls,” Rigby Middle School Assistant Principal Whitney Wagoner wrote in an email announcing Anderson’s award. “She prioritizes building strong, authentic relationships with her students, ensuring they always feel seen, supported, and empowered. Her classroom is a hub of hands-on, real-world learning, where students not only master content but also develop leadership skills, take ownership of their learning, and explore new opportunities.”
Wagoner wrote that Anderson is known for her innovative teaching style, community outreach, resourcefulness and collaboration.
“Her creative, student-centered approach to curriculum keeps students coming back year after year, eager to be part of her classes,” she wrote.
Amber Armstrong, a member of the Boise Education Association and the Idaho Education Association Board of Directors, and BEA member Tenley Gagner-Lutz celebrated a huge class milestone in late February — and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean came to the party.
Several years ago, Armstrong, a Montessori educator at Liberty Elementary, brought the Boise Public Library’s Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge to her students. During the challenge, Armstrong’s students read books from 30-50 categories put forth by the library. Until last year, Armstrong’s class was the only Boise-area class to participate in the challenge; this year, Gagner-Lutz’s class also joined. Armstrong and Gagner-Lutz are teaching partners.
Liberty hosted a celebration in the school library on Feb. 21 to celebrate the students’ success. Armstrong and Gagner-Lutz’s students received T-shirts and gift certificates from the Boise Public Library to mark their achievement, and Mayor McLean congratulated the students in person to celebrate and encourage their love of reading.
Hester Comstock, a Boise Education Association member, recently published “Legislators need to have meaningful discussions and the public needs to be able to follow them” in Idaho Education News. Comstock is also member of IEA’s Government Relations-Political Action Committee for Education (GR-PACE) committee.
Want to share a recent accomplishment? Email Julie Sarasqueta at jsarasqueta@idahoea.org to be included in an upcoming edition of Member Notes.
