Lehi People
Skyridge teacher awarded ASD’s “Teacher of the Year”
Skyridge High School educator Aaron Andersen received a big surprise last week from students, administrators, his family and Alpine School District Superintendent, Dr. Shane Farnsworth, as he was awarded “Teacher of the Year” by the district.
“Teacher of the Year” is awarded to an outstanding teacher in the district through a multi-step process. First, each school within the district nominates one teacher to receive the “Accent on Excellence” award. A select group of district leaders evaluate the submissions for recognition. This year, 20 teachers earned the Accent award. From that cohort of 20, the district leadership team selected Aaron Andersen as the “Teacher of the Year” for Alpine School District. Andersen will represent the district in the Utah State Board of Education’s “Teacher of the Year” competition.
Andersen is the Chinese language and AP History teacher at Skyridge. Andersen’s efforts extend beyond the classroom as he leads the Chinese New Year celebration, a popular community event for Lehi. He plans and executes an annual trip for Chinese language students to Taiwan and China where they learn valuable life lessons, have new experiences, and are immersed in Chinese culture. Andersen is also the World Language department chair at SHS.
“Andersen is an excellent teacher who has a great rapport with his students and families. His classes are engaging and rigorous, and students are successful in them,” said SHS Principal John Wallwork.
Wallwork continued, “Aaron also runs and leads our most popular community event, Lehi’s Community Chinese New Year Celebration, which attracts hundreds of patrons and involves many students from different high schools. Aaron is a major contributor to our school’s leadership team and guiding coalition. He also serves as the chair for our World Language department and as a collaborative team leader for the district’s Chinese Language team. Aaron always wants to do what’s best for kids and his fellow teachers, he is invaluable to our Skyridge school and the community.”
“Our District Leadership looks at the depth of teaching knowledge and impact on students, particularly evidenced by test scores and other measures of student achievement. It was also clear that Andersen has an impact on students and expertise in the classroom. He also had the full, enthusiastic support of the Skyridge administrative team. For something like this award, every day is the interview, and Andersen has demonstrated excellence on such a consistent basis,” said Dr. Rich Stowell, ASD Director of Communications.
