Arch Insights
Browning Earns Arch Coal Teacher
Achievement Award, Thanks Former Teacher, Mr.
Cline
Scott
Depot (April 30) – After repeating the sixth
grade, Riley Dale Browning suffered from low
self-esteem. “I had already given up on myself,”
Browning recalls, “but Mr. Cline would not give
up on me. He spent much of his time helping me
to build self-confidence. … I owe this man, a
teacher, a great debt of gratitude for my
successes.”
Now that debt may be considered “paid in full.”
Browning, a sixth-grade teacher at Gilbert
Middle School, has been “giving back” through
his students for the past 19 years. Today, he
became one of only 10 West Virginia Teachers to
earn an Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award.
Arch Coal President and Chief Executive Officer
Steven F. Leer presented the award, accompanied
by Gov. Bob Wise, Secretary of Education and
Arts Kay Goodwin, State Schools Superintendent
David Stewart, and West Virginia Education
Association President Tom Lange, at an awards
ceremony at Scott Teays Elementary School in
Scott Depot.
“Each year, we are thrilled with the exceptional
level of talent we see in West Virginia
teachers,” says Leer. “The careful selection
process – by a blue-ribbon panel of peer judges
– makes the award that much more distinguished.
I’m glad Arch can have a small part in
recognizing the many teachers in West Virginia
who bring the magic of learning into our
children’s classrooms every day.”
“Mr. Browning far exceeds the call of duty, and
his dedication to children is beyond compare —
as is his attention to detailed lesson plans and
the execution of those plans,” notes Gilbert
Principal Burma Hatfield. “He is a very creative
teacher, and he demonstrates a high degree of
flexibility in dealing with the various levels
of individual possibilities.”
“His energetic approaches to delivering his
content material in unique ways make his
classroom an exciting place for his students,”
adds colleague LaDonna Auvil. “His constant
attention to their needs as students and as
young people makes him a favorite teacher and
friend of his charges.”
“I believe that all students have the potential
to succeed in every academic area, with the
proper instruction and when given the
opportunity to explore,” says Browning. “My
classroom should be one where the students are
forced to think critically about issues beyond
their immediate environment and their
communities. I also believe that an atmosphere
of mutual respect, trust and encouragement must
be created if effective teaching and successful
learning are to take place.”
Browning earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees at Marshall University, Huntington,
W.Va.
In addition to recognition, each award recipient
receives a $2,500, unrestricted cash prize and a
distinctive glass trophy. The Arch Coal teacher
recognition program features public nomination
and peer selection.
Arch Coal has support from the West Virginia
Department of Education, the West Virginia
Education Association, and Speedway in promoting
the program. Arch Coal’s teacher awards program
is one of the longest running in the state.
Arch Coal is the nation’s second largest coal
producer and a supplier of clean-burning,
low-sulfur coal exclusively. Approximately 2,000
people are employed at Arch’s operations in West
Virginia. The company is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and maintains its
corporate headquarters in St. Louis.