SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 3, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson has named Mark Berrett Daniels, a theater teacher at Weber High School in Pleasant View, as 2022 Utah Teacher of the Year.
Daniels, of North Ogden, was presented with a check for $10,000 and will compete with his state fellow teachers of the year in a national competition, said a news release from the Utah State Board of Education. He will participate in a number of state and national leadership opportunities.
Bountiful Junior High School choir teacher Katherine “Kasey” Bradbury and West Lake STEM Junior High School Spanish dual immersion teacher Albert Ferrarons Font were named runners-up and each received $4,000.
A committee with representatives from parent and teacher advocacy organizations, charter schools, and the Utah State Board of Education selected Daniels from among local teachers of the year for the honor.
“While most teachers complain of large class sizes, Mark welcomes the opportunity to teach 50 plus students in all of his classes,” wrote Weber High Principal Chris Earnest. “It doesn’t matter who you are, Mark wants you in his class. He gets to know each student individually and structures his teaching to meet the different learning styles of his students.
“Mark teaches skills such as communication, relationship building, grit, endurance, resiliency, humility, grace and teamwork that help students become successful now and throughout life.”
“Mr. Daniels is not only one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, but one of the kindest and hardworking as well,” wrote Ashton Smith, one of his former students. “Throughout my experience at Weber High, Daniels rarely takes days off, and is begging to come back as soon as possible whenever he misses rehearsals or classes. He is dedicated to his teaching and his theater department at Weber, and hundreds of students benefit from it every single year.”
“His enthusiasm, love, and passion for teaching has garnered no competition,” wrote Abigail J. Rigby, the parent of one of his students. “Mr. Daniels is in a league all on his own.”
Daniels succeeds John Arthur, a fifth-grade teacher at Salt Lake City’s Meadowlark Elementary School, as Utah Teacher of the Year.
