UCET Awards - Menu

• UCET 2009 Technology Educator of the Year
• UCET 2009 Technology Leader of the Year
• UCET 2009 Jack Erickson Excellence in Technology Service Award
• UCET 2009 Teacher Grant Winners

Previous Years

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006

UCET 2009 Technology Educator of the Year - Brad Butcher - Granite School District

Brad Butcher currently teaches Spanish, web technology, PE, and is the STS at Thomas Jefferson Jr. High in Granite District. 

He sets high expectations for teachers through his trainings and encourages them to meet those expectations, helping them every step of the way until they reach independence.  Just as a teacher walks his/her students through a new skill, so he walks TJ Jr High teachers through it and keeps helping them until we have mastered the skill on their own.  This often requires multiple trainings on the same thing.  His patience with teachers is incomparable to anyone else's!  His is very focused and prepared at all times with all of this!  

UCET 2009 Technology Leader of the Year - Preston Checketts - Box Elder School District

Preston Checketts is the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Leader Award.  He has distinguished himself in the State of Utah leadership in Educational Technology.   He understands how technology works from line speed down to the student computer training programs.   He has worked tirelessly to improve speed and reliability of connections through the USU T-forum.

Preston has been active in helping expand the overall network in Box Elder School District and Utah by working with UEN and vendors to provide better technology for Education.

Anyone who has been around Preston cannot come away without a feeling of his passion for technology. He expects and inspires the best of those around him.

UCET 2009 Jack Erickson Excellence in Technology Service Award - Don Remy - NUES

Don has been the network engineer at NUES for two years. He exhibits a high level of professionalism, along with a friendly helpful demeanor. Don regularly visits each district in the region.

Don has no "platform bias;" he is equally willing to support users on Windows, Macs or Linux; he is knowledgeable on all. He has deep knowledge of Netware and Windows networking, as well as proficiency in developing and maintaining physical infrastructure. Don will stick with a project until it is finished, even if it means a late night trip back to his home in Springville.

Don has served the NUES region well by upgrading network systems at several districts, taking the lead in negotiating software and hardware purchase contracts, and assisting with server and workstation installations.  He is always cheerful and a pleasure to work with.

UCET 2009 Teacher Grant Winners

Dianne Holland:
Grant Title: “Kennecott: The Past, Present and Future”
School: Daybreak Elementary
District: Jordan School District

Grant Information: Diane received funding to purchase a camcorder, tripod, microphone and DVD burner. Her school is located close to the Kennecott Mine. Her students will film documentaries about the mine. Students will interview current and former mine employees to find out what the company does today, what it did in the past, what it looked like, what kinds of rocks and minerals are found around Kennecott, and how its mining effects the environment and people in that area.

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Mary Janice Richmond
Grant Title: The New Age Classroom
School: Hurricane High School
District: Washington County School District

Grant Information: Mary received funding to purchase classroom response system. Her class is involved in real-world interaction with the Southern Utah Crime Lab and the City of Henderson Crime Lab. The director of the labs will interact with her students via video conferencing. Mary's class will use the response systems so that she and the lab instructors can see and analyze student responses to questions to help guide the discussions. Mary's school matched the UCET grant funding to allow her to purchase the response system.

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Shauna Bagley
Grant Title: “Come In And Check Me Out”
School: Grant Elementary
Murray School District

Grant Information: Shauna received funding for eight iPod Touches, AV Cables, and power adaptors. The iPod Touches will allow her to expand the school's almost nonexistent video library. Shauna will dowload instructional videos onto the iPods. Teachers can checkout the iPods and show their students the videos over the classroom TV without a video or DVD player. Shauna's school matched the UCET grant funding to allow her to purchase the iPods.