Awards
About MEF Awards
The Missoula Education Foundation believes in honoring outstanding educators and students within the Missoula County Public School System.
Educators of the Year
High School
Congratulations to Milton Zhinin-Barreto, our High School Educator of the Year! Milton teaches Spanish at Hellgate High School, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for him!
Past winners:
- 2021 – Leon Slater, Hellgate
- 2020 – Lewis Nelson, Sentinel
- 2019 – Amy Miller, Big Sky
- 2018 – Tammi Allison, Sentinel
- 2017 – Carla Hinman, Hellgate
- 2016 – Richard Farrar, Big Sky
- 2015 – Leo Dougherty, Seeley-Swan
- 2015 – Tom Andres, Big Sky
- 2014 – Cameron Johnson, Big Sky
- 2012 – Tracy Stone, Seeley-Swan
Middle School
Congratulations Shawn Schweyen!!!!! Shawn is our 2023 Middle School Educator of the Year! She has absolutely ROCKED it in the library at Meadow Hill and is adored by students and colleagues alike! Her family even came down from Helena to celebrate her!! Shawn, you are amazing, and we are honored to celebrate and know you!
Follow this link to watch more of our surprise for Shawn! NBC Montana
Past winners:
- 2022 – Don Griffith, Meadow Hill
- 2021 – Elizabeth Fessler, Washington
- 2020 – Molly Norton, Washington
- 2019 – Chris Whiteman, CS Porter
- 2018 – Josh Hiday, CS Porter
- 2017 – Lori Ann Lynch, Washington
- 2016 – Scott Edge, CS Porter
- 2015 – Randy Zschaechner, Meadow Hill
- 2015 – Allison McFarland, CS Porter
- 2013 – Gregory Imhoff, Washington
Elementary School
Congratulations to Laurel Kress of Jeannette Rankin Elementary! She was selected as the 2023 Elementary Educator of the Year for MCPS!
Past winners:
- 2022 – Sharon Jones, Lewis and Clark Elementary
- 2021 – Wendy Lofthouse, Missoula Online Academy
- 2020 – Jon Fines, Jeannette Rankin Elementary
- 2019 – Kathy Dungan, Lewis and Clark Elementary
- 2018 – Betsy Sharkey, Lewis and Clark Elementary
- 2017 – Michelle Salisbury, Cold Springs Elementary (now Jeannette Rankin Elementary)
- 2016 – Kathy Dungan, Lewis and Clark Elementary
- 2015 – Molly Kast, Rattlesnake Elementary
- 2014 – Bryan Barrett-Catton, Lewis and Clark Elementary
- 2014 – Claudia LaRance, Paxson Elementary
Most Inspiring Student Awards
The 13th annual Most Inspiring Student Awards banquet is coming up! We are excited to be honoring our student nominees, and look forward to celebrating MCPS students in 6th-12th grades.
When: Thursday, April 27th, 2023
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: DoubleTree Hotel, 100 Madison St.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Executive Director, Susan Tower, at [email protected] or by phone at 406-728-2400 x1071.