News from May 17, 2007 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press (2 pages) PDF
(Selected pages 1A, 5A)
WARNING: PDF files will take longer to download, especially on low-speed ISPs.

D‘Mrs. Q’ recognized for making a difference
Rocket Arena was swarming with busy bodies as students and faculty filed into the gym for a special assembly last Thursday to hear the announcement of Wal-Mart's annual Teacher of the Year.
Crittenden County High School English teacher Melissa Quertermous, known to several students as Mrs. Q, was chosen as Teacher of the Year.
No one, including fellow teachers, knew the recipient of the award, and it came as a big surprise to Quertermous.
As her name was called out, a roar of applause and cheering broke out amongst the students and faculty. Quertermous, who was seated in the bleachers next to her class, was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that it was her name who Allen Dixon, the store manager of Wal-Mart in Princeton, had just called.
Dixon presented Quertermous with a $1,000 check for the school, as well as a Teacher of the Year polo shirt, $100 gift card so that her class can throw a party and an eMachine computer complete with a printer and a digital camera with a memory card.
Accepting the gifts, Quertermous had tears in her eyes as she faced the high school students and thanked them.
"I'm shocked but honored to have received this acknowledgment," Quertermous said. "I am proud of my students and moved to know that I have helped them in some way in their lives. I'm moved to tears."
Teacher of the Year is an annual selection that Wal-Mart awards in the Caldwell, Lyon and Crittenden area. For the entire month of February, there was drop box set up where students can nominate their choice teacher.
However, the teacher isn't selected by how many nominations they receive or how "cool" a student may make them sound. Instead, a teacher is selected by how meaningful the student's nomination is.
"The student who nominated Mrs. Quertermous explained how she had made this particular student who they were today," Dixon said. "We look for teachers who make a difference in their students lives."
Quertermous is now eligible for the state level of Teacher of the Year. The winning teacher will receive a $10,000 check and go on to the national level. The national Teacher of the Year will receive a check for $25,000 for their school.