The Tucker County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the recipients for the 40th Annual Chamber Awards. The banquet will be on Thursday evening, May 17, 2018 at 6:00pm at Canaan Valley Resort. Tickets are only $35 and can be purchased at the Information Center in Davis or by calling 304-259-5315 by May 12. The Chamber has solicited nominations for six different categories, the secret committee has met and the results are in!
Educator of the Year: Donna Stout
Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School, 2nd grade teacher
Mountain Hospice is the proud sponsor of this award.
One colleague wrote, “Donna is clearly an outstanding professional, mentor, teacher and employee, but I believe she should be viewed first as an outstanding leader. She is and has been a leader of those of us in education and a leader for education itself.” “She has attended numerous workshops to stimulate our programs and improve our instructional performance. In this capacity she has mentored and inspired nearly all of the elementary education professionals in our county.”
One nomination said, “Mrs. Stout has spent more than 30 years educating the students of Tucker County. She runs a classroom full of love and discipline, with a passion for teaching second graders.”
Student of the Year: Nathaniel Rader
Performance Chevrolet is the proud sponsor of this award.
One Educator said, “Nathaniel values learning. He is not satisfied with merely regurgitating the material or “acing” the material; he wants an in-depth understanding of the material and wants to be able to apply his knowledge.”
Another Educator said, “Nathaniel has also proven himself to be a wonderful athlete, participating in cross country and track for his entire high school career. He has also been involved in the community, volunteering many hours of hard work to help with blood drives to fish fry’s. He has also been his senior class president, leading his class through many fundraisers and events. He is also very actively involved in STEAM, robotics, HOSA and HISTA. All the while he has worked after school at Siriannis in Davis.”
Student of the Year: Jack Melnick
Siriannis Café is the proud sponsor of this award.
One Educate said, “Jack took a lead role in the club (Robotics) mentoring other students in both the Robot C programming and in the design and build of the VEX Clawbot. Jack is a highly motivated student, taking some of the most rigorous courses offered at Tucker County High School.”
One nomination said, “Jack’s intelligence and ability are most evident through his accomplishments in school and athletics, but those aren’t even the qualities that have impressed me the most. I have often witnessed him acting quietly and kindly to support his school and work friends and community service organizations. His willingness to also take on leadership roles, such as presidency of his 4-H club, and seize opportunities, in the form of science camps and online college courses, has convinced me that he will thrive in almost any environment and achieve great things wherever he chooses to work or study.
A nomination for both recipients said, “Both of the young men have been very goal oriented in regards to their future education. They both take advance placement classes while meeting their high school requirements, Jack and Nathaniel are both well rounded individuals.”
Employee of the Year: Shaun Crittenden
Blackwater Falls State Park is the proud sponsor of this award
One nomination said, “As Sirianni’s embarks on its 30th Anniversary in June. It would be fitting that Shaun Crittenden, our FIRST employee, be recognized for her long tenor and hard work with the Honor of Employee of the Year. “…I remember working with Shaun when our location was still CJ’s Pizza. She has been a long staple of 474 William Avenue and the town of Davis.”
Business of the Year: Saint George Medical Clinic, Paul Wamsley, Jr.
Best of Canaan is the proud sponsor of this award
One nomination said, “My history with the clinic goes back to 1991. At that this time the clinic was in a small, old trailer that was probably less than 1000 square feet. There were 4 employees at that time and I remember a busy day we would see around 25-30 patients. Within 5 years we began talking about expanding the clinic, and beginning to explore grants to make that happen. In 1996…the clinic had broken ground for the new building. Today’s St. George Medical Clinic is everything we could have ever dreamt it would be and more! Paul Wamsley has done and incredible job of expanding its space, personnel and services beyond what we could have imagined when we were sitting discussing the future in that old trailer.”
Another nomination mentioned, “I believe Paul Wamsley, Jr. deserves this award, because under his leadership, St. George Medical Clinic continues to address the healthcare needs of our community while providing local medical professionals with a wonderful job close to home.”
Another said, “The expansion that is going on with St. George Clinic is amazing. Not only do they provide office visit care but they also provide much needed affordable dental, X-Ray, mental health care, orthopedics, cardiology, and so much more. The St. George Clinic system is a definite asset to our county. Knowing the way the clinic operates, I’m sure more expansion is on the horizon. This will not only bring more healthcare options for our county but more employment as well.”
Community Service Award: Shirley White
Mon. General Heath Systems is the proud sponsor of this award
A nomination said, “In the fall of 2012 Shirley and 4 other Gold Star Mothers form WV reestablished the WV Chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers.” “She has worked hundreds of hours and driven over 11,000 miles volunteering for WV Gold Star Mothers projects in 2018. I cannot think of a more deserving person from Tucker County to receive the Community Service Award for 2018.”
As president of WV Gold Star Mothers some of the projects she has worked on to help veterans in WV include;
Sending birthday, Christmas and Veterans Day cards to each resident of the two Veteran Nursing Homes in WV.
Co-sponsoring with Veterans to Agriculture a memorial tree grove in Canaan Valley Resort State Park honoring those KIA in all wars from WV.
Cooking meals for veterans who attend fishing trips sponsored by Project Healing Waters and Trout Unlimited.
Lobbying the WV State Legislature to get the Honor and Remember Flag adopted for our state. This flag was adopted by the WV legislature in March of 2016. This flag was first flown at Canaan Valley Resort State Park.
Sending supplies to deployed veterans from WV.
Helping the WV National Guard plan a Gold Star Family Retreat at Cap Dawson each year.
Finding sponsors for personalized Honor and Remember Flags to the families of fallen soldiers in WV.
And the list goes on…
Tuckineer: TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE BANQUET
Citizens Bank of West Virginia is the sponsor of this prestigious award.
For more information or to reserve your tickets, contact the Chamber office at 304-259-5315 prior to the end of business on Saturday, May 12.
