POCATELLO — Graduating seniors from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Pocatello Idaho North Stake honored 25 distinguished teachers and coaches during an annual event last week.

This is the 12th year the LDS north stake has hosted the Influential Educators program, which recognizes local role models for the positive impact and lasting influence they have on students. The nominees included educators across Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 and included elementary, middle school, and high school teachers and coaches.

Gathered in the cultural hall at the LDS church on Victory Avenue in Chubbuck, teachers sat alongside their student nominators, enjoying refreshments and recounting the halcyon days they experienced together during their time in school.

During the program, each teacher was honored with a light-up plaque in the shape of an apple, which was engraved with their name. Interesting details about the educators read aloud, including how long they taught in the community, one of their passions, surprising personal facts and their inspirations for why they teach.

Each student nominator also included a brief testimonial that they read to the educator that expressed their love and appreciation for all that the teacher did for them during their time together. Each note was unique. Some were humorous, drawing laughter from the audience, while others were lovingly crafted and detailed the importance of high-quality educators within the community and the impact they have on young minds.

Mark Van Orden, a Highland English teacher who also coaches cross country and track, was recently nominated for the first time and shared the reasons he loves to teach.

“I’m pretty passionate about what I do,” Van Orden said. “I really care about making sure that kids have a safe space that they can come to in my classroom, a place where they’re comfortable with their friends and comfortable learning. I’m really passionate about literature and language and I hope that that comes across in the way that I teach.”

Van Orden continued, “I really like to see when kids can reciprocate that passion. Occasionally you get a kid who’s just really passionate about my subject matter or just about life and education in general. That really keeps me going. I like to see enthusiastic kids who have drive and that’s probably what excites me the most.”

Other teachers like Natalie Call, who taught a litany of subjects at Pocatello High School during her 30-plus years as an educator, reflected on the lessons she imparted and the knowledge she gleaned from her decades in education.

“I think teaching is probably one of the hardest professions that there is,” Call said. “I loved the very first day of school and being able to decorate my room and get it to the point where everyone felt welcome to come in. I wanted them to feel like it was a home away from home for them. I always knew that’s what I wanted to be.”

Call continued, “Everyone who has a job or is moving forward (in life) has been taught somewhere along the line by someone else outside of their family. I think it’s important to know that there’s different points of view and different ways to look at things. Knowledge is power, and it helps us grow and have a better picture and a bigger picture of things to come.”

As the night ended and the bustle of attendees slowly exited outside toward their vehicles, Call expressed appreciation for the students and community’s gratitude.

“A lot of those teachers out in the cultural Hall were my colleagues and many of them I worked with on committees and planned curriculum,” Call said. “Teachers work really hard and I’m just happy that someone had the idea of saying thank you. It’s not necessarily a glamorous job, but it really is when you’re a teacher. Every little celebration makes you feel like you’ve won some big award.”

The 2024 honorees for the Influential Educator awards include: Aaron Hall, Eric Pankau, Elaine Whitehead, Tawna Eborn, Deborah Clark, Mark Wetstein, Matt Anderson, Amy Slack, Tiffany Chandler, Brent Patch, Jordyn Green, Jason Hebdon, Natalie Call, Aubrey Eldredge, Jennifer Haskett, David Hopwood, David Swenson, Greg Burch, Brandon Hansen, Pam Fleischmann, Mary Graham, Mark Van Orden, Rebecca Thompson, Rhonda Jenkins and Stefanie Plato.