Green River teacher of the year named

A special education teacher at Monroe Intermediate School received the prestigious Teacher of the Year award last week.

The Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees awarded Desi Pampuch with a plaque and publicly congratulated her.

Pampuch said it was an exciting moment for her because the district is filled with great teachers. Pampuch said she first found out during the teachers’ last day before the summer break. District Superintendent Donna Little-Kaumo made the announcement during a staff meeting at Monroe that final day.

Little-Kaumo said the Teacher of the Year criteria and applications are handled by the state, with a local selection committee hearing the recommendations for the honor made by parents, students and other teachers. Little-Kaumo said the process is substantial and teachers are required to complete a lengthy application process once they’ve been notified of their recommendation. Little-Kaumo said many teachers don’t complete the process after they’ve been nominated.

In Pampuch’s case, Little-Kaumo said a parent wrote a moving recommendation letter on her behalf. Pampuch has worked as a teacher for the past 25 years, having worked in the district for three years. She initially came to the district after working in North Carolina.

“It’s a great district and I’m proud to represent them,” she said.

Little-Kaumo said recipients of the honor are awarded a $1,000 check and a crystal apple award from the state and are considered for the state-wide Teacher of the Year award. Teachers recognized as the Wyoming Teacher of the Year are awarded a $5,000 from the state.

For Pampuch however, while the award is an exciting honor, her focus remains with the children she works with.

“We got to just teach the kids,” she said. “The core of it is we’re teaching kids.”