Two huge honors

Our Monday started with an assembly at Tigard High. No one knew what it was for, just that Oregon State Superintendent Susan Castillo would be there for some kind of award recognition.

Well, it turns out that one of our social studies teachers, Frank Caro, was selected as one of just 40 teachers nationwide to receive the VERY prestigious Milken Educator Award... with a $25,000 cash prize!!
Holy cow! We are SO excited for Mr. Caro!

Click HERE to read more about the honor. You may have seen the article last night and this morning in The Oregonian.
And Frank, who is not only a great teacher but also a real class act, sent out this e-mail to the THS staff (who are all dreaming of how WE would spend $25,000!!!!):

THS Teachers, Administrators, Counselors, Support Staff, Custodians!

I want to THANK YOU all for your support the years I have been at THS. Any honor I receive for teaching is not accepted alone. It is YOU ALL who have helped me do my job each and every day so this recognition is something I truly and profoundly share with all of you. I am blessed to work with all of you and I wouldn't work anywhere else!

Go Tigers!
Frank

What a great guy! Congrats, Frank :)

Then at 5 p.m., senior color guard member Kalen Weigel was honored with a ceremony by the U.S. Army.
Kalen was selected to participate in the elite 2012 U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, which plays for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January in San Antonio, Texas.

Just 125 marching musicians and color guard members were chosen nationwide. Each will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the bowl game.

The ceremony was really cool!
My mom, Kalen's marching band director, was glad to be a part of the pomp and circumstance:
The whole family was there:
Kalen's color-guard instructors:
Mom gets to keep that hat!
And we're so proud of Kalen!!

:)