Emery School District Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY: Emery High School language arts teacher Diane Carter represented the Emery School District at the 2018 Utah Teacher of the Year Banquet held at the Marriott on Friday, Set. 8.
Mrs. Carter was among the 26 candidates for Teacher of the Year, an event sponsored by the Utah State Board of Education. She was selected at the end of the 2016-17 school year from among nominees representing each of the Emery District’s 10 schools. As the nominee from the Emery District, Mrs. Carter became eligible for the Utah Teacher of the Year competition.
In addition to the 2018 nominees, former Utah Teachers of the Year were also honored, including Utah’s first Teacher of the year Robert A. Nielson, a long-time agriculture teacher in the Millard School District who received the honor in 1978. Keynote speaker at the event was Governor Gary R. Herbert.
Aaryn Birchell, an English language arts teacher at Uintah High School, was named the 2018 Utah Teacher of the Year. Steven Hendricks, a music teacher in the Davis School District, was named first runner-up, and Jenny Atcitty, who teaches at Montezuma Creek Elementary in the San Juan School District, was named second runner-up.
A long-time educator in the Emery District, Mrs. Carter has taught language arts and social science at San Rafael Junior High and Emery High School after starting her teaching career in the Logan and Carbon School Districts. She is currently the head of the EHS Language Arts Department and teaches senior AP and Honors English classes. In addition to having bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utah State University, she is also a graduate of the Utah Writing Project. Mrs. Carter grew up in Emery County and is a graduate of Emery High School. She and husband Rod have two daughters, Adrienne and Madelyn.
Joining the Carters at the program were Emery School District Superintendent Larry W. Davis and his daughter and former student of Mrs. Carter, Carly Simpson, who is a fifth grade teacher at Ascent Academy in West Jordon.
The awards program was hosted by Mary Dickson, Director of Creative Services at KUED, and featured remarks by Valerie Gates, the 2017 Utah Teacher of the Year, and Angie Stallings, Associate Superintendent with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). Chairman of the USBE, Mark Huntsman, was also a featured speaker.