He was named the Conservation Teacher of the Year by the county Soil and Water Conservation District
I am so proud of him (as we all are)! He's always been an excellent teacher and passionate about his job. I've had past students of his come up to me and tell me Bro was their favorite teacher--he was "tough but fair, and I learned a lot". He's always loved gardening, ever since he was a kid, and spends his summers landscaping, so I'm not surprised that he incorporated his love for the land into lessons for his students.
Of course I had to tease him a little about his accomplishment. Attention like this absolutely mortifies him, so he wasn't thrilled to have his picture taken and an article written about him. And when I asked him if there was some kind of financial reward that came with the recognition, he told me no, he got a plaque and a nice dinner at a local restaurant. But really, he doesn't do it for the recognition or the fiscal reward. He's just one of those teachers for whom his students' success is his reward, and we need more teachers like him in the world.