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Conard among nation's best teachers
UNIONTOWN -- Norm Conard was more than a little surprised on Tuesday when he learned about his latest honor, induction into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
The 30-year educator -- one of five teachers from across the country who will be honored this summer -- credits his students for getting him to where he is today in his career and for receiving the prestigious award. "It's a surprise, an honor and a tribute to the students of Uniontown High School," the social sciences and video production instructor said when contacted at the school on Tuesday. "It's a compliment to the district, the classroom -- the entire student body."
Conard will take his place among the best teachers in the United States during the threeday 16th annual induction ceremony planned to take place June 14-16 in Emporia.
Conard said the acknowledgment he has received over the years has also helped him to be a better teacher.
"Of course, any kind of recognition elevates the profession," he said.
During the course of his career, Conard has received numerous education awards and honors, and his photo has even graced the cover of USA Today. Now, his name will forever be etched into the history of the greatest educators to ever enter a classroom. Conard has spent nearly 20 years molding young lives in Uniontown, where he is known for playing a major role in his students' success stories both inside and outside the classroom.
He has helped a number of students to advance their projects to the state and national levels of the National History Day competition and, more importantly, to win at those levels. He has worked with students, over the years, on projects about important people in history, including Elizabeth Eckford, one of the original Little Rock Nine, and Irena Sendler, a Polish woman who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust.
In addition to his five appearances in USA Today, Conard was named Kansas Social Stud- ies teacher of the Year in 1991; he is a Milken Educator; he was named the 1992 Kansas Teacher of the Year; and he received the Kansas Teachers Association's Human and Civil Rights Award in 2003. He has received about 15 state and national teaching awards. Conard and his students have also been featured in a number of newspapers and television programs. His students, both past and current, have felt the impact Conard has made in their lives.
"Mr. Conard has a special presence when he walks into a room; his passion for life can be felt," former student Megan Stewart-Felt said. "His mission is to spread the ideas of respect and tolerance and teach us to be better people."
Conard will be honored during a special assembly at 9 a.m. April 19 at UJSHS, 601 Fifth St. He will join four other teachers from Tennessee, Nevada, Washington and Florida for a series of recognition events June 14-16 in Emporia. Various community events, an educational round table discussion, a banquet and induction ceremony, and a tour of the surrounding prairie are scheduled to take place at that time.
Award recipients will receive various gifts and mementos from some of the induction ceremony's sponsors, including a $1,000 college scholarship presented by Sodexho School Services to a student from each award recipient's district who is pursuing a degree in teaching; $1,000 in educational materials from Pearson Education; and a signet ring and lapel pin presented by Herff Jones, Inc.
The National Teachers Hall of Fame was founded in Emporia in 1989 to honor elementary and secondary school teachers, as well as the teaching profession, through a recognition program and museum. Nominees must be certified public or nonpublic school teachers, either active or retired, with at least 20 years of experience in teaching students within the preschool 12th grade range, a statement from the agency said.
For more information, contact the National Teachers Hall of Fame at (620) 341-5660, or visit www.nthf.org on the Internet.