Outstanding Teaching at Valor Middle School

Jason Rodgers, M.A.T. ‘99, was awarded a Crystal Apple award for outstanding teaching at Valor Middle School in Woodburn, Oregon, where he is the Director of Bands and Choirs. The Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce annually hosts the Crystal Apple Awards Dinner where staff from Woodburn schools are honored for their exceptional work with students. Honorees are identified through a community-wide nomination process and are chosen by a Chamber-appointed selection committee. They are then honored at a dinner hosted by the Chamber in November. As a part of the ceremony, honorees receive a crystal apple in recognition of their contribution to their school organizations in relation to a set of pre-established criteria.

This was the 2nd year in which Jason was nominated for the award. In the words of his proud wife, Jessica Youngman (BA Biology ‘98), “Another Lewis and Clark graduate making a difference in the world, one marimba, clarinet, and flute at a time!