10 Wyoming Educators Earn Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards

GILLETTE, Wyo., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arch Coal Foundation named 10 outstanding Wyoming teachers today as recipients of the prestigious Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award. Now in its 15th year, it is Wyoming's longest-running, privately sponsored teacher recognition program.

The announcement was made by John W. Eaves, Arch Coal's chairman and chief executive officer. He was accompanied by Gov. Matt Mead and Wyoming Education Association Executive Director Ron Sniffin. The recipients were honored at a ceremony at Paintbrush Elementary School in Gillette.

The 2015 Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award recipients are:

"Good teachers deserve praise and recognition, and we want to put teaching excellence on the front page where it belongs," Eaves said. "So today, we acknowledge 10 impressive Wyoming classroom teachers.

"These teachers will be remembered by their students many years from now for their patience, kindness and commitment to building lifelong knowledge seekers," he continued. "On behalf of Arch Coal, our nearly 1,800 employees working in Wyoming and the Arch Coal Foundation, I am pleased to congratulate these recipients for their dedication to excellence and for providing their students with the tools to succeed in today's increasingly complex world."

"Great teachers have the ability to inspire their students," Gov. Mead said. "The teachers honored by Arch Coal have that ability. It is my pleasure each year to join Arch Coal in recognizing these exceptional educators. I congratulate this year's honorees and thank them for building a strong foundation for our children and Wyoming's future."

"These educators put students at the center of everything that they do," Sniffin said. "These remarkable teachers challenge their students' abilities, as well as teach them how to succeed. Putting students first is why these teachers are true champions of public education in Wyoming."

The public nominates teachers for the annual award, and a blue-ribbon panel of past award recipients selects the top 10. In addition to recognition, each teacher is presented with a $3,500 unrestricted cash award, a distinctive trophy and a classroom plaque.

The Teacher Achievement Awards are underwritten by the Arch Coal Foundation and are supported in program promotion by the Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming Education Association, the Wyoming library community, Taco John's and Loaf 'N Jug stores. Arch Coal and the Arch Coal Foundation have a long history of supporting educational and community causes in Wyoming. The Arch Coal Foundation also supports teacher recognition or grants programs in West Virginia and Colorado, as well as other education-related causes.

Information about each of today's 10 recipients, as well as past recipients, is posted at archteacherawards.com.

St. Louis-based Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is one of the world's top coal producers for the global steel and power generation industries, serving customers on five continents. Its network of mining complexes is the most diversified in the United States, spanning every major coal basin in the nation. The company controls more than 5 billion tons of high-quality metallurgical and thermal coal reserves, with access to all major railroads, inland waterways and a growing number of seaborne trade channels. Arch Coal's Thunder Basin Coal Company operates the Black Thunder and Coal Creek mines. For more information, visit archcoal.com.

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SOURCE Arch Coal Inc.