Explorations Academy’s Lisa K. Beck was surprised last week when she received the  Wal-Mart’s Teacher of the Year Award.

Beck, who is one of the founders of Explorations Academy, received a $100 gift card and the school received a $1,000 grant.

In the written nomination that caught the attention of the judges, Beck is described as a “certified science teacher, but her interests and abilities have propelled her into teaching English, history and PE.” One way she stands out, according to the nomination, is that when she was out for reconstructive knee surgery, she had her class watch a Powerpoint presentation about what the surgeons were doing to her. Another time she started running, something she hates, twice a week with a student to encourage them to lose weight. She’s also planned and lead month-long excursions with Explorations students to places like Peru and Kenya.

Congratulations, Lisa!

Be sure to hit the link below to see the KVOS-TV clip of Lisa receiving this award!

http://www.kvos.com/content/experiencenorthwest/story.aspx?content_id=5f263670-87a9-4200-8395-9c7633ae2e55