Arch Coal Names Jewell Teacher Achievement Award Recipient

PRICE, Utah (May 8, 2008) – Wellington Elementary teacher Gail L. Jewell doesn’t allow her students to say, “I don’t get it” or “I can’t.”

The fifth grade teacher says learning in her class is not optional. What is optional is when the learning may occur. Her students are told “You are welcome to learn this now, at recess, or during P.E.”

Hands-on activities highlight her classroom, from making slime from glue and borax, making graphs by counting cereal and candy, or fighting mock Revolutionary War battles. “It’s exciting to watch children learn by doing,” Jewell says.

Today, it was Jewell’s turn to take center stage. She was one of only five teachers to receive a 2008 Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award in Utah. Announcement of the award was made at a ceremony at Castle Heights Elementary School by Erwin Sass, general manager of Dugout Canyon mine. Sass was joined by Jim Porter, High Desert UniServ director for the Utah Education Association.

“Gail Jewell is the type of teacher who makes her classroom memorable,” says Sass. “In turn, she makes an indelible impression on her students as they learn and achieve at high levels.”

“I love learning and I want to inspire the children I teach with that same love,” says Jewell. “I treasure turning on the learning light in someone’s eyes as a difficult math concept is mastered.

“I try to prepare my students to succeed in the world,” she says. “They need to understand how brains work and realize they can take charge of their own learning. They must practice kindness and respect for everyone.”

Says parent Kayrene Anselmo, whose son had Jewell as his teacher, “She is a respected teacher who brings enthusiasm to her classroom. I feel very fortunate that my son was able to benefit from this wonderful teacher.”

Jewell, who has taught for 23 years, says she remembers each of her students. “Teaching,” she says, “is the most rewarding job in the world.”

Jewell has earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in elementary education from Utah State University. She has attended numerous professional conferences, including Rural Schools Conferences and Rural Literacy training, has become a Math Teacher Trainer, and has been a successful grant writer for a computer lab for her classroom. She has been active in PTA, both as a parent and as a teacher. Jewell also serves as the Wellington Elementary student council advisor, a post she has held for the past 10 years.

In addition to recognition, award recipients receive a personal, $2,500 unrestricted cash prize, a distinctive trophy and a classroom plaque. Nominations of the teachers are made by the public, and selection is made by a blue-ribbon panel of the teachers’ peers.

This is the second year the Arch Coal Foundation has sponsored the teacher recognition program in Carbon, Emery, Sanpete and Sevier counties.

Supporters of the program include the Office of Governor Jon Huntsman, Utah State Office of Education, Utah Education Association, Utah School Superintendents Association, Carbon County School District, Emery County School District, Sevier County School District, North Sanpete School District, South Sanpete School District, Far West Bank, Market Express, radio stations KMTI, KLGL, KMGR, KSVC, KCYQ, KOAL, KARB, KRPX, and both TacoTime and Bookcliff Sales in Price.

The counties surround the Dugout Canyon, Skyline and Sufco coal mines owned by Arch Coal, Inc., one of the nation’s largest coal producers. Through its national network of mines, the company provides the fuel for approximately 6 percent of the electricity generated in the United States.

Arch Coal is Utah’s largest coal producer and a large, state employer with a workforce of approximately 800. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and maintains its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Mo.