Longmont High School health teacher Ashley Beaudoin was selected as this year’s CU Boulder Best Should Teach Gold Award recipient for the St. Vrain Valley School District. She will be honored tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at CU Boulder at a free, public event.
The Best Should Teach award honors both CU Boulder faculty and K–12 educators who exemplify excellence in teaching and academic leadership and a deep commitment to student success. Best Should Teach Gold and Silver Awards are presented at the event each year.
The initiative is managed by CU Boulder’s Center for Teaching and Learning, in coordination with the School of Education, and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Lindley and Marguerite Stiles established the initiative in 1996 to spread the message that “The Best Should Teach.” Lindley was a lifelong educator, and his quote is inscribed on the university’s School of Education building: “To those who come, I leave the flame! Hold it as high as you can reach. If a better world is your aim, all must agree: ‘The Best Should Teach.’” A Best Should Teach sculpture designed by John Haertling, representing the flame of enlightenment, is also installed at the School of Education.
Beaudoin was nominated for her exceptional ability to connect with students, maintain high expectations, and foster a strong sense of belonging, according to a press release from the St. Vrain Valley School District. She is the visionary behind Longmont High School’s peer mentoring program, which pairs upperclassmen with ninth graders to provide academic and social-emotional support. Peer mentors can earn concurrent enrollment college credit, explore careers in education, and contribute to their school community.
