Pictured at the award of a check by Centerra-Los Alamos to the LANL Foundation are, from left, Tony Fox, LANL Foundation Vice President of Institutional Advancement & Scholarship; Graig Newell, Centerra Director of Business Management; Mihaela Popa-Simil, Foundation Vice President of Finance & Operations; Jenny Parks, Foundation President & CEO; and Lennie Upshaw, Centerra General Manager.

LANL FOUNDATION NEWS

Centerra-Los Alamos, the protective force contractor for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), presented funding to the LANL Foundation in support of the 2019 Excellence in Teaching Awards. 

The review process is now underway to select the seven award recipients from K–12 public, Tribal and charter schools in Rio Arriba County and Pojoaque schools who were recently nominated by their peers or students. Winners are based on impact in education, leadership and cultivation of positive school culture. 

“This program a great way to recognize the teachers, because they have such a big influence on our future leaders. The next generation is being prepared by our teachers, so they have an enormously significant role in our communities and our society,” said Lennie Upshaw, Centerra General Manager. “We’re happy to be part of this program, it’s fundamentally important.”

This is the fourth year that Centerra has partnered with the LANL Foundation to honor local teachers with an engraved plaque and $1,000 check. 

“The reason why we picked Rio Arriba County and Pojoaque is because the employees who work for us are from this area. It’s their kids who are impacted by these outstanding teachers,” added Graig Newell, Centerra Director of Business Management.

Winners will be announced during a surprise award assembly at each of their schools before the end-of-year break.

Centerra – Los Alamos is the LANL protective force contractor, consisting of over 300 professionals, responsible for protecting some of the Nation’s most critical assets.

LANL Foundation  http://www.lanlfoundation.org

Since 1997, the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has worked to inspire excellence in education and learning in Northern New Mexico through innovative programming, collaboration and advocacy. By investing in human potential, the Foundation’s vision is that all New Mexicans have the skills and confidence they need to be self-sufficient, lifelong learners who are engaged in their communities. Programs in early childhood, K-12 teacher and student growth, inquiry STEM education, scholarships and small grants serve Northern New Mexico communities primarily in Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe and Taos counties.