Kolterman receives top teaching award

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The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Nebraska English Language Arts Council (NELAC) recently honored Clark Kolterman, High School English/speech and drama teacher at Seward High.

NCTE and NELAC named Kolterman the 2013-2014 NCTE Nebraska English Teacher of the Year and NCTE Secondary Teacher of Excellence for Nebraska. The award was presented by Dr. Ernest Morell of Columbia University, New York, who is the NCTE National President-Elect during the 2013 Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival. Kolterman will also be recognized at the NCTE Conference in Boston this fall.

NELAC is the state association for Nebraska English/Language Arts teachers. NCTE is the national professional organization for English/ Language Arts educators.

A former Seward businessman, Kolterman is in his 19th year of teaching at Seward High. He teaches English 12, speech and drama. He also directs the school’s one-act plays and serves as the quiz bowl, speech team and academic decathlon coach. This husband, father of six and grandfather to seven, is an active volunteer leader in a variety of community projects, also serving on numerous state boards and foundations. Kolterman is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, with master’s degrees from Concordia University in Seward.

Named the Outstanding Language Arts Student Teacher of the Year/NELAC Future Teacher Award was Alicia Gotschall, graduate of UNO and now a teacher at Elkhorn South High School.

Also recognized was Erin Konecky of Waverly High with the NCTE Leadership Development Award for being an outstanding, new Language Arts teacher of five years or less. She will be honored this fall at the NCTE Conference in Boston in November.

Ceic Neiman of Papillion LaVista South High School, was awarded the NCTE National Teacher of Color Award of Distinction and was also recognized at the last two NCTE Conventions. She has also served as the NELAC State President for the last three years.

The Nebraska English Language Arts Council (NELAC), the official state organization for Nebraska’s English / Language Arts teachers and the affiliate for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) held their fall conference with Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival in Seward at Concordia University Sept. 27. NELAC President Elect Sharon Bishop of Henderson announced the awards at the ceremony.