SMARTer Kids Foundation congratulates Chauncey Veatch,
National Teacher of the Year
President George W. Bush to present award at the White House

Washington, DC --- April 23, 2002 --- The SMARTer Kids Foundation congratulates Chauncey Veatch, National Teacher of the Year 2002. Tomorrow, President George W. Bush will present Mr. Veatch with this prestigious award during a ceremony at the White House. The National Teacher of the Year is selected by a committee of representatives from 15 leading national education organizations. The committee makes its selection from the list of State Teacher of the Year winners in 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. As National Teacher of the Year, Mr. Veatch will travel nationally and internationally to speak about the teaching profession.

State Teachers of the Year are selected on the basis of nominations by students, teachers, principals and school district administrators throughout their states. Once selected each State winner becomes eligible for the National title. As part of their recognition, all national nominees are presented with a Teaching Excellence Award from the SMARTer Kids Foundation. This award recognizes teachers who have had a positive effect on their students, schools and communities and provides them with a classroom technology package.

"The recognition provides us all the opportunity to share the successes in education with the public," says Mr. Veatch, National Teacher of the Year and California State Teacher of the Year. "However, it is important to remember that the awards program is about our kids."

"The SMARTer Kids Foundation believes in the importance of enhancing children's lives through quality education," says Nancy Knowlton, executive director of the SMARTer Kids Foundation. "The Teaching Excellence Award recognizes 55 outstanding educators for their commitment to making a difference in the lives of their students."

National Teacher of the Year Finalists
	Chauncey Veatch, California
	Marian Galbraith, Connecticut
	Henry Brown, Florida
	Tracy Taylor Callard, Kansas

Product Donations to National Nominees
Each of the 55 recognized teachers receive a classroom technology package from the SMARTer Kids Foundation consisting of a SMART Board interactive whiteboard and a Floor Stand from SMART Technologies Inc., an NEC projector from NEC Solutions America, Visual Systems Division and an AlphaSmart keyboard from AlphaSmart, Inc. The entire package is valued at US$5,200.

Teaching Excellence Award Partners
The Teaching Excellence Award is made possible through the generosity of its partners. SMART Technologies Inc. is the founding and funding partner of the SMARTer Kids Foundation, which will donate US$400,000 in technology products to teachers recognized by U.S. State Teacher of the Year programs this year. Further, the Foundation offers a five-year sponsorship term to each state program, making classroom technology available to recognized teachers nationwide. Other funding partners include NEC Solutions America, Visual Systems Division and AlphaSmart, Inc.

2002 State Teachers of the Year and Teaching Excellence Award Recipients
Alabama – Theresa Farmer
Alaska – Vivian Montoya
American Samoa – Saouila Fanene Lousiale Kava
Arizona – Maria C. Frontain
Arkansas – Karen Denise Norton
California – Chauncey Veatch*
Colorado – Deborah Johnston
Connecticut – Marian Galbraith*
Delaware – Tanya Marcinkewicz
Department of Defense Dependents Schools – Jolene Jenkins
District of Columbia – Doris Jean Hurd Savoy
Florida – Henry L. Brown, III*
Georgia – Mark A. Stallings
Guam – Carroll W. Flores
Hawaii – Jill S. Hirota
Idaho – Jennifer Lynne Williams
Indiana – Terri L. Boutin
Iowa – Jennifer Erbe
Kansas – Tracy Taylor Callard*
Kentucky – Stephen H. T. Lin
Louisiana – Joel R. Johnson
Maine – Peter J. Lancia
Maryland – Linda Eberhart
Massachusetts – Dawn Eileen McNair
Michigan – James F. Linsell
Minnesota – Barb Stoflet
Mississippi – Renee A. Moore
Missouri – Jill Ann Bergee
Montana – Judie Woodhouse
Nebraska – Anne M. Cognard
Nevada – Erin J. Hill
New Hampshire – Nancy B. McIver
New Jersey – Jan Wilson
New Mexico – Susan Benjamin
New York – Barbara Gordon
North Carolina – Carmen Kincaid Wilson
North Dakota – Julia Koble
Northern Mariana Islands – Happy L. Miller-Retwaiut
Ohio – Maureen L. Reedy
Oklahoma – Mike Bynum
Oregon – Deborah Jean White
Pennsylvania – Ralph Maltese
Rhode Island – David Neves
South Carolina – Traci Young Cooper
South Dakota – Jeffrey D. Lukens
Tennessee – Melinda K. Day
Texas – Marta E. Galindo
Utah – Tim Bailey
Vermont – Janet Steward
Virgin Islands – Tracey Thompson-Johnson
Virginia – Ruth S. Grillo
Washington – David McKay
West Virginia – Jeanne Gren
Wisconsin – Alexis Ann Ludewig
Wyoming – Marcia Patton
* Indicates National Teacher of the Year finalist

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For more information, contact:
SMARTer Kids Foundation
403.802.2556
pr@smarterkids.org

Please note that SMART is in all capital letters.