The Diamond award, sponsored by The Rotary Club of Colorado Springs, recognizes teaching excellence in District 11 schools. Usually, one teacher from each school is picked, but this year, two teachers from Coronado were picked. One of those recipients was Mr. Peterson, a Significant Support Needs teacher, who has worked at Coronado for fifteen years. He was nominated by special education students and chosen to receive the award.
Winners are awarded $500, an invitation to a celebratory Rotary club lunch, and a clock with a 1.55mm diamond. When asked what the award meant to him, Mr. Peterson expressed that it is “such a wonderful honor to be acknowledged for the many years of hard work” and the positive impact he’s had on his students.
Mr. Peterson sees the award not as a reflection of his individual success, but the success of Coronado’s special education community as a whole, including parents, students, and paraprofessionals, because “without their hard work and dedication, the special education program would not be as successful.”
