Freedom High School English teacher Janel Hauser and Kristan Kliminski, a chemistry teacher at Madison LaFollette High School, will be honored Sunday, May 1 with Lawrence University’s 2011 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award.
They will receive a certificate, a citation and a monetary award from Lawrence President Jill Beck in ceremonies at the president’s house. In addition, their respective schools will receive $250 for library acquisitions.
Nominated by Lawrence seniors, recipients are selected on their abilities to communicate effectively, create a sense of excitement in the classroom, motivate their students to pursue academic excellence while showing a genuine concern for them in and outside the classroom.
Lawrence seniors Andrew Hawley and Sara Davis nominated Hauser and Kliminski, respectively, for the awards.
An Appleton native, Hauser joined the Freedom High School faculty in 2002, where she teaches freshman English and honors English. She started her teaching career at Brillion High School in 1999.
For the past seven years, she has served as head coach of the Freedom varsity forensics team and as advisor to the National Honor Society. In 2010, she was recognized with the Outagamie County Pre-Action Network Exemplary Service award for her efforts to introduce a program on tolerance and risky behavior into the curriculum. Hauser earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UW-Oshkosh.
In nominating her for the award, Hawley described Hauser’s teaching style as “a breath of fresh air.”
“Ms. Hauser was always upbeat, smiling and energetic,” wrote Hawley, a 2006 graduate of Freedom High School. “She always encouraged me to do my best and had an open door policy without needing to say she had one.”
Kliminski has taught at LaFollette High School since 1994 after spending seven years in the Poynette School District. She teaches all three levels of chemistry in the LaFollette curriculum, including AP chemistry. Prior to this year, she spent 10 years as the advisor to Key Club, the school’s service organization.
Davis cited Kliminski’s passion for her subject matter and her devotion to students In her nomination.
“I never had any teacher who seemed to go so out of their way just to make sure I was understanding the material,” wrote Davis, a 2006 LaFollette High School graduate. “She was able to generate an excitement in me about chemistry, science and learning in general that I never had before.”
A native of Elgin, Ill. Kliminski earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry education and a master’s degree in education administration from UW-Madison.
Hauser and Kliminski are the 55th and 56th Wisconsin teachers honored for education excellence by Lawrence since the program was launched in 1985.
