Arch Coal Names Campbell Teacher Achievement Award Recipient

CHARLESTON, W.VA. (March 1, 2006) – When it comes to teaching, Christine J. Campbell will not be satisfied with the status quo. “I am a goal-oriented person. I insist on increasing my knowledge and broadening my innovation each year,” Campbell notes.

“I don’t just teach; I stay involved in the core of the school. I work hard for the students as a teacher, facilitator, and as a community leader, to provide the best education for our youth. These young people are our future,” she adds. “I strive to help them develop the resourcefulness necessary to make that future as bright as possible.”

Campbell’s own performance is looking bright as well. In fact, she was among only 12 teachers statewide to receive a 2006 Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award. Robert W. Shanks, president of Arch Coal’s eastern operations, representing Steven F. Leer, Arch Coal president and chief executive officer, made the announcement during a presentation ceremony at the state capitol. He was accompanied by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin; First Lady Gayle Manchin; Secretary of Education and Arts Kay Goodwin; Deputy State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jack McClanahan; and West Virginia Education Association President Charles Delauder.

“Christina Campbell says teachers have to be learners first,” says Leer. “I think it is accurate to say that she is a life-long learner and that she incorporates new material in her classroom to stay current and fresh.”

Campbell teaches reading and language arts at Marlinton Middle School in Buckeye. “My teaching style has been determined by the philosophy that we are all in this together, so we have to work as a group to succeed,” notes Campbell, an 11-year teaching veteran. “Cooperative learning in a workshop environment allows the classroom to become a working community. Everyone has to respect each other, or the community will fall apart.

“Each year has its failures and successes, but we evaluate the failures and celebrate the successes as a group,” she adds. “When things are not working for everyone, we change them. When things are working, there is an understanding that our success is because of the group’s effort, not the result of one individual. I am proud of the hard work I put in each day to promote and support this community, but the real credit goes to the middle school students who choose to agree with my philosophy and take that chance with me each year.”

Campbell earned her bachelor’s degree at Bluefield State College and a master’s degree at Marshall University. As a Reading Mentor Teacher at Marlinton Elementary, Campbell provided other teachers with a resource for many research-based teaching methods. She has set up readers and writers workshops at all grade levels and served as a member of the curriculum team. Campbell has been a Faculty Senate officer for 11 years, through which she helps improve the teaching profession. Campbell further supports her community through involvement in High Rocks Educational Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing leadership skills, academic and personal support to teenage girls in Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Nicholas counties. She and her students participate in community-enhancement activities as well.

In addition to recognition, award recipients receive a $2,500 unrestricted cash prize, a distinctive trophy and a classroom plaque. The West Virginia Foundation for the Improvement of Education makes a $1,000 award to each recipient’s school, for use with at-risk students.

Arch Coal is supported by the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia Library Commission in program promotion. Arch Coal’s Teacher Achievement Awards is the longest running, privately sponsored teacher recognition program in the state. Nominations of the teachers are made by the public and selection is made by a blue-ribbon panel of the teachers’ peers – previous recipients of the award.

Arch Coal is the nation’s second largest coal producer and mines clean-burning, low-sulfur coal exclusively. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and maintains its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Mo.

Information about each of the 12 recipients is posted on the Arch Coal Web site: www.archteacherawards.com.