Published: December 25, 2006 06:40 pm      

State teacher award named in honor of late local educator

COALWOOD — She was the chemistry teacher at Big Creek High School who inspired the Rocket Boys of McDowell County to reach for the stars.

Although the Freida J. Riley National Teacher Award has been presented for the past seven years, there has never been an actual West Virginia award in Riley’s honor for outstanding teachers in the Mountain State. Now, a new state award recognizing an outstanding West Virginia teacher will be launched beginning next year to coincide with the annual October Sky Festival in McDowell County, and the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik.

“Teachers across the state will be eligible,” Clarksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kathie Titus said. “There will be new criteria. The criteria before the Rocket Boys felt didn’t really depict who Freida J. Riley was. The Rocket Boys felt there are so many wonderful teachers here in West Virginia that you didn’t need to look any further.”

Although the Clarksburg area has been host to the Freida J. Riley National Teacher Award ceremony sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation for the past three years, the pending dissolution of the foundation prompted officials to propose a new award in honor of an outstanding state teacher each year.

The national award was previously presented at the Washington Air and Space Museum. Clarksburg was chosen three years ago because of its strong aerospace presence in north central West Virginia. Ironically, the national award has never been presented to a West Virginia teacher.

“When we found out they (the foundation) would be no more, the Rocket Boys said they didn’t want this to stop,” she said. “We are going to keep it going, but we are going to do it just for a West Virginia teacher.”

Titus said the state award will be in the amount of $5,000. The award was planned in conjunction with the Prodigy Foundation, Fairmont State’s GEAR-UP and the Greater Clarksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Titus said the teacher award ceremony will be held on the first Thursday in October. The following Saturday morning, motor coach buses will travel to Coalwood to participate in the October Sky Festival, and meet Rocket Boy leader Homer Hickam. A special festival is planned for 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik.

Titus said Rocket Boy Roy Lee Cooke, also president of the Prodigy Foundation, has played a key role in helping the Clarksburg community with the national award, and will help to tweak the criteria for the new state award along with Amie Fazalare, director of Fairmont State University GEAR-UP and RESA VII representative Anna Casale.

The program will kick-off with a “bottle rocket competition” for all seventh grade students in north central West Virginia next May. However, the RESA VII agency will work with all RESA agencies throughout the state to invite students to join in the competition, including youngsters in McDowell County. The winning team will be provided free transportation to attend the October Sky Festival in Coalwood.

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com