Chamber honors area educators

By Ray Weikal

It was a full-blown red carpet gala for educators and students at the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce 2008 Excellence in Education Banquet.

With chamber music, haute cuisine and white linens, chamber members threw their annual party for the people who make the Northland one of the region’s top educational hot spots May 1 at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City North.

Representatives from every public and private school district, college and university in the Northland were honored during the three-hour event. Dozens of awards were distributed among about 250 nominees in seven categories, including college scholarships, and booster, educational support and teaching honors.

Heather Claybrook of Fox 4 News and Chris Stigall of 710 Talk Radio were masters of ceremony at the banquet, which was attended by about 1,000 people.

“This is kind of like the academy awards for educators,” Stigall said. “You folks represent the very best in teaching and leading our kids.”

Several educators and students from Kearney School District received awards, including a Volunteer in Support of Education honor for booster Cena Rich. She raises about $30,000 a year for schools in Kearney, Stigall said.

“Cena Rich, thank you for all the hard work and dedication you provide to Kearney High School,” he said.

Ellen Todd of Curry Investment Co. chaired the chamber’s Excellence in Education Program and welcomed participants to the banquet.

“This is a special evening when we get to honor our hardworking educators,” Todd said. “Education in the Northland is thriving.”

Stigall, a Liberty resident, joked briefly about the Liberty School District spending scandal during his opening remarks.

“It’s going to be a long night, so I’m here to tell you now that the bar is open,” Stigall said. “And I can tell you that none of it was purchased at Sam’s Club.”

There was some excitement at the ceremony after Stigall announced that a violent storm front was moving east from Wyandotte County. People were advised that they might need to evacuate to tunnels on either side of the cavernous banquet hall, but the precautions proved unnecessary.

Scholarships were handed out to 17 high school seniors from Platte and Clay counties. Afterward, Sen. Luann Ridgeway expressed her appreciation.

“We’re really proud of all of you for supporting education,” Ridgeway said.

The Christa McAuliffe Pioneer in Education Award is the top honor handed out at the annual chamber event. It’s given to the area teacher who best embodies the spirit of McAuliffe, a teacher who died in the 1985 space shuttle Challenger explosion. This year, the award was given to Erich Ostrowski, a teacher at Park Hill School District’s Southeast Elementary School.

“He consistently embraces students and parents in order to make them feel part of the class room community,” Claybrook said.

Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.