Tag Archive: Teacher of the Year

February Post Meeting 

Public Safety Awards Presented 

At the February Post meeting, we hosted our 2023-24 Public Safety & Education award winners. With us to receive their award certificates and be recognized were: 

Shown In the photos, (from left) are Edmonds Police Corporal Aaron Greenmun, Police officer of the year; Jennifer Stollwerck is the EMT award winner; and Melissa Beard, Firefighter of the year. Our Teacher of the year is Ali Hammond. 

Past Commander Carl Kurfess presented in the Public Safety category, with Don Stapleton doing the honors for our educator.

Congratulations and many thanks to these dedicated public servants! Our favorite portrait artist, Mike Reagan, presented all of the winners with portraits he drew for the occasion, shown below: (Thank you Michael!) 

Minutes of February Post Meeting

Business Meeting Start@ 1835 hours 

  • Guests Terry Stinson, District I Commander and Doug White District 1, Inspector were introduced.
  • The minutes from the January meeting were read and approved by the membership.
  • The Quartermaster’s report was reviewed and approved.
  • The following expenditures were approved by the membership:
    $278.06 to Don Stapleton for Postage and Supplies.
    $209.75 to Mike Reagan & Bob Little for food. 
    $ 500.00 to the Cascadia Pipe Band. 
  • Increase the donation to the VFW National Home from $100.00/year to $500.00/ year. 
  • The next Buddy Poppy Post Funds collection event will be on May 24 & 25.
  • May 4th is the VFW National Service Day. We will discuss what the Post can do at our next meeting. 
  • Post Raffle 2024. This year we will raffle an original signed portrait of Toby Keith. Tickets & Flyers are being printed. 
  • District I will be at a Lynnwood Job Fair the end of March. Our Post will participate using this event as a recruiting opportunity. 

Speaking of the Relief Fund: 

VFW/Legion Fund Raising Raffles

We have done very well in the past couple of years in keeping our Buddy Poppy receipts up, particularly given the impacts of the pandemic on our activities. We even have some room to expand what we give to some of our Relief Fund recipients, or add some additional smaller beneficiaries. 

If you are aware of any Veterans programs, or other, particularly local, organizations worthy of our support, please let our Chaplain, Dan Doyle know who they are and how we can contact them. The Relief Committee (chaired by our Chaplain) will consider all candidates and add them to our list as appropriate. Here are some of the programs/organizations we have supported, to give you an idea: 

Freedom Scholarship 
Youth Programs 
Teacher of the Year 
Student Essays 
Orting Veterans Home 
Retsil Veterans Home 
National Home

National Military Services 
USO 
Special Olympics 
Fallen Heroes+ Speakers 
Fisher House – JBLM 
Fisher House – Seattle 
Santa’s Castle – JBLM 

Relief Fund

January Post Meeting

In lieu of a speaker, the Post recognized the following students for their essay submissions:
Our Patriot’s Pen winner – Karsen Friesen 6th Grade was not able to attend.

The 4th grade Youth Essay winner, Calijan Smith, below, left and the 5th grade winner, Eloise Liao at right, are shown in the photos below with Commander Bowen.

Also recognized was our Teacher of the Year, Ali Hammond, who was not able to attend.

January Post Meeting

Business Meeting Started@ 1815 Hrs

The minutes from the 10/18/2023 & the 11/15/2023 meetings were read and approved by the membership. The Quartermaster’s report was reviewed and approved by the membership.
Several expenditures were presented for approval and were so approved by voice vote, including expenditures for Quartermaster supplies, & equipment as well as a new video camera to facilitate the use of Zoom for meetings.

Christmas party meals and cash awards for the VFW Essay winners were also approved.
Two items were added to the Veterans Relief Fund budget; The Captain Joseph House and Sarge’s Place Shelter for the benefit of Gold Star Families and Homeless Veterans.

A proposal was also approved to pay to American Legion Post 66 an annual feel for the use of their building. We will recognize the recipients of the Police/Fire/EMT awards at our next meeting on 02/21/2024.

Mike Reagan has graciously offered to do a portrait of the recipients of the Post Police/Fire/EMT & Teache f the Year as chosen by the Post.

January Post Meeting 

Before our business meeting began, awards ceremonies were held for our Post winner of Patriots Pen, Voice of Democracy and Teacher of the year. Shown below with Don Stapleton, are Voice of Democracy winner Maverick Cradduck at left and 5th grade essay winner Cataleya Moore who were present and read their essays to the assembled membership. Two other younger winners, Harper Seal and Fletcher Seal were not able to be present, but we hope to have them at a future meeting. 

Our Teacher of the Year Olivia Peterson

Our Teacher of the Year is Olivia Peterson of Serene Lake Elementary in the Mukilteo School District. Peterson teaches 5th grade at Serene Lake and is aid to incorporate a variety of activities to creatively engage kids in the curriculum. 

For Veterans Day, Peterson had students write essays to acknowledge and honor the day and the people who served. Peterson is shown at left being introduced by Don Stapleton. 

We inducted two new members into the Post at the January meeting. Shown below as they take the oath are, at left, Darryl Roberts a Navy Veteran of Vietnam and on the right, Katherine Lindsey, an Army nurse, also serving in Vietnam. Please help us to welcome these new comrades to our ranks. 

Darryl Roberts a Navy Veteran of Vietnam and Katherine Lindsey, an Army nurse
Past
Commander Rose Gilliland, in recognition of her ongoing
service to the Post

Commander Carl Kurfess presented a plaque to Past Commander Rose Gilliland, in recognition of her ongoing service to the Post, both during and since her command period. Well done, Rose! 

Past Commander Fred Apgar, present via our Zoom hook-up, expressed thanks for our support in replacing the fence surrounding the Captain John Herbert Dent, USN Family burial plot at the Old Bethel Presbyterian Church in Jacksonboro, South Carolina. 

Fred has done an exhaustive tour of historical places in the east since leaving our area a few years ago and found this burial place of an honored veteran in very poor condition. Fred reports that he was successful, 

Captain John Herbert Dent, USN

Dent was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War, (with France) the First Barbary War, and the War of 1812. He was acting captain on the USS Constitution during the attacks on Tripoli in 1804. 

District 1 Student essay and Teacher of the Year Awards! 

District Commander Otis Wolf and District Auxiliary Tami Wagoner presented awards to the students and teachers hosted at VFW Post 2100 in Everett, WA. 

District 1 Student essay and Teacher of the Year Awards!

Present during the District 1 awards ceremony was VFW Washington Commander Paul Herrera. Paul thanked the students, parents, and teachers for their efforts in the VFW essay and teacher of the year competition. Paul also told a story about citizenship and how we as leaders, educators, and parents can teach future generations. Big thanks to VFW Post 2100 for hosting yesterday’s District 1 awards ceremony and their hospitality.

Teachers of the Year Feted at Feb. Post Meeting

Teachers of the Year Feted at Feb. Post Meeting
Marilyn Roberts

Marilyn Roberts teaches at Marysville Middle School. Ms Roberts has been a friend of the Post since then Commander Fred Apgar responded to her call for Buddy Poppies to distribute to and with her students for Memorial Day several years ago. 

It is with great pride that we report that Ms. Roberts was also awarded District 1 Teacher of the Year. 

Teachers of the Year Feted at Feb. Post Meeting
Tamera Harber

Tamera Harber, American History Teacher at Everett High School. Ms Harber spoke to us about teaching her students about the importance of Memorial Day and Veterans day and how she uses the poem “In Flanders Fields” as a teaching tool. 

Julie Bivens, Who teaches at Serene Lake Elementary in Mukilteo, was unable to be with us. 

Post 8870 and District 1 Elementary Teacher of the Year

Post 8870 and Distict 1 Elementary Teacher of the Year

Mrs. Devon Ames was nominated by our very own Sara Brannan, herself an elementary teacher. Sara describes Mrs. Ames as an outstanding educator who has demonstrated a sincere commitment to educating children about our American History. She teaches Fifth-Grade at Serene Lake Elementary School in Mukilteo and she has taught American History in her class in a way that has made learning about our country exciting, engaging, and profoundly inspiring for her students. Mrs. Ames has taught units on the American Revolution and Forming a Government for many years, and these lessons have been described as powerful learning opportunities for the students. 

Mrs. Ames has her students memorize part of the Declaration of Independence during her units of study. In addition, she also has her students reflect on their learning about freedom by creating an original art project in which the students create freedom paintings using symbols of America: red, white, and blue, with stars, and an eagle. 

Mrs. Ames dedicates much of her own free time reading about American history, studying great works of American literature from that time period, and developing lessons to teach the importance of citizenship in our world. She makes her history lessons come to life through her passion and love for teaching these important ideals to our next generation of citizens. Mrs. Ames loves American history and instills in her students the importance of freedom and democracy. 

Post 8870 and Distict 1 Elementary Teacher of the Year
Photos: Sara Brannan and Terry Crabtee present the award 


Where Does Our Relief Funds Go?

We raise a lot of money handing out Buddy Poppies. How do we spend it? Not a single penny goes to the Post or to overhead. Here’s this year’s budget:

Service Officer – $2,500
Special Olympics – $ 500
Scholarships – $4,000
Fallen Heroes Project – $2,250
Youth Programs – $1,000
Fisher Houses – $2,000
Teacher of the Year – $ 500
Santa’s Castle– JBLM – $1,000
Student Essays – $ 750
Chaplains’ Offices – $1,500
Veterans Homes – $2,000
Semper Fi Fund – $ 500
National Home for Children – $1,000
Wounded Warriors – $ 500
National Military Services – $1,000
CRISTA Camps – $1,000
USO – $1000
NW Battle Buddies – $ 500
Rainier Therapeutic Riding – $ 500
Wreaths Across America – $ 500
Misc./Contingency – $1,200