McCluer Teacher Recognized Nationally for Educating Methods

A McCluer High School teacher has continued to reap the benefits of his caring and hard work style for students.

Ken Holzapfel, a special education teacher at the high school, recently received the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence, which has been noted as one of the country’s most prestigious honors for public educators. He is one of 38 honorees across the country.

Holzapfel has also been recognized in recent years as the 2011 Teacher of the Year for the Special School District of  St. Louis County, and in 2012, he was one of eight teachers to receive a Gold Star grant from Emerson for “McCluer Work Experience Entrepreneurship.”

At McCluer, Holzapfel has worked with students to prepare them for entering the work force after high school. On a regular basis, students learn about working environments and work ethics for real-world situations.

With this award, McCluer High School will receive $650, and Holzapfel will have an all-expenses paid trip to the National Education Association Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Gala in Washington D.C.

He’ll also receive the opportunity to participate in the Pearson Foundation Global Learning Fellowship, which touts nine months of professional development and an all expenses paid study abroad tour next summer.