IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
For Release: October 13, 2006
Contact: Lana Oppenheim Schlapkohl, 515-471-8026

Cedar Rapids educator wins statewide honor

Excellence in Education Awards thank teachers who make a difference

Dr Roxann Dittmer, a long-time educator in the Cedar Rapids area, has been selected to receive the 2006 Excellence in Education Award sponsored by the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), Iowa Farm Bureau, WHO Radio, and KDSM Fox 17. She was selected from among nearly 100 nominations submitted by persons honoring teachers who have made a difference in their lives or in the lives of their child.

“This award was created to give Iowans an opportunity to recognize and say thank you to teachers who have touched their lives," said Linda Nelson, president of the ISEA. "Each of the nominations was powerful and heartwarming and each had a common theme -- teachers literally change the lives of the students they teach.”

Many of today’s students face a variety of problems and challenges that were virtually unheard of a generation ago. That’s why teachers often find themselves tending to their students’ personal as well as academic needs. Dittmer encountered such a child more than eight years ago when she taught second grade at Taylor Elementary School.

Dittmer reached out to the troubled girl during a particularly difficult time in her life; and over the years, the two have developed and maintained a close personal relationship. Now the girl -- RaeAnne Mason -- is a happy and healthy teenager who is thriving at Kennedy High School.

“Roxann’s help is something I will treasure for the rest of my life,” RaeAnne wrote in her nomination paper. “She has impacted my life so much. She is my hero and my angel . . . . Dr. Dittmer is my best friend and being able to have her in my life is something not a lot of children have.”

Dittmer is currently an early childhood special education teacher. She serves children at Linn County Child Development Center, a community-based preschool. In addition to teaming with the preschool teacher to provide learning opportunities, Dittmer also is the teacher for the program which focuses on students with significant social and emotional needs.

Now in its eighth year, The Excellence In Education Award is designed to honor the countless educators across the state who, like Roxann Dittmer, go the extra mile and make a difference in the lives of their students each and every day. Nominations were solicited from Aug. 22 through Sept. 29, and forms were available on the ISEA Web site as well as at local county Farm Bureau offices.

Dittmer will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and her program will receive another $1,000 from the Iowa Farm Bureau during a gala awards ceremony and banquet on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines, also courtesy of the Iowa Farm Bureau.

“Iowa Farm Bureau believes in the crucial role of a good education for our children and the good educators who lead, create and inspire all areas of learning,” said Craig Lang, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. “That's why we award scholarships to graduating seniors, help fund FFA chapters and even provide $90,000 in funding for classroom supplies. We are happy to partner with the ISEA to honor amazing teachers such as Roxann Dittmer who truly embody the Excellence in Education Award.”

Four finalists will also be honored. They are: Dawn Haacke, an elementary teacher at North Central; Randy Naber, an elementary teacher in Muscatine; Marisa Van Dorn, a Spanish teacher at West High School in Waterloo; and Della Weems, a high school English teacher at Adel-De Soto-Minburn. The finalists and the winner will also receive gift cards courtesy of Staples.

All of the nominees along with the individual or family who nominated them have been invited to attend the awards banquet at no charge. The Iowa Farm Bureau will also provide free tours of the Iowa Hall of Pride, which is located within the Hy-Vee Hall.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of nearly 32,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education . . . It's an Iowa Basic!