Fifty-three graduates who have earned education degrees through the University of Wyoming/Casper College (UW/CC) Center, along with their mentor teachers, were honored recently at a pinning ceremony and reception.

Brent Pickett, associate dean and director of the UW/CC Center, began the evening by thanking the center's partners in education, including Casper College, the Natrona County School District, and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, as well as the faculty and staff that support the students through their educational careers.

The reception's speakers were selected in order to reflect the important roles of the center's partnerships. They included faculty speaker Rod Thompson, student speaker Annette Green and NCSD superintendent Jim Lowham.

After remarks from Marcia Patton, partner schools facilitator, the education graduates and their mentors were called to the podium to receive their pins.

"The graduate and the mentor teacher pin each other," Patton said, "to symbolize that we are a community of life-long learners. As teachers, we learn from our students. Mentor teachers pin the graduates, and the graduates pin their mentors, because they have been co-teachers."

The evening's events were concluded with a fable offered by Lynn Kahler, mentor facilitator for the Natrona County School District, inspiring graduates to achieve greatness.

UW/CC ed grads and mentors

The graduates who earned their elementary education pins, along with their mentor teachers and the school where they performed their residency:

Sagewood Elementary: Victoria Greet with Susie Strom, and Tausha Willard with Shawn Galles; Verda James Elementary: Andra Arnold with Lauri Rail, Shyla Graves with Susan Schilling, Ronald Hall with Lynn Lange, Rosanna Maxwell with Annie Kepler, and Tamillia Moore with Claudia Grigg; Willard Elementary: Alicia Alger with Tina George, Veronica Gallegos with Jodie Frazier, and Charity Harkins with Kristi Smith; Crest Hill Elementary: Alisha Adelman with Rick Black, Meghan Creel with Lynne Murray, Alicyn Davis with Ann Cornell, Krista Hiebert with Haylie Wendland, Tricia Muller with Amy Sorensen, and Denise Steffens with Cathy Quinlan; Glenrock Grant Elementary: David Rawlings with Corinne Sibrel; Glenrock Middle School: Colleen Zeglin with Sue Calmes; Manor Heights Elementary: Sierra Barber with Kim Carpenter, Stephine Becker with Shannon Kersenbrock, Jeanine Fillinger with Angie Geiger and Wendy Johnson, Heather Gilmore with Cindy

DeLeeuw, Erika Hooper with Judy Royer and Linda Heberlein, Caroline Mooren with Brenda Foy, Alana Sheffield with Jane Brown and Sheila Ker, and Denise Smiley with Susie Mayhue; Paradise Valley Elementary: Gary Bass with Deanna Brownell and Christy Garner, Zachariah Becker with B.J. Becker, Kayla Bockman with Dana Berg, Tatiana Curtis with Diane Watson, Annette Green with Robyn Chivers, Talia Munsell with Lisa Talbott, and Amanda Puls with Marcee George; Park Elementary: Melanie Brandon with Laura McCleary and Sue Berchenbriter, Aubrey Hazen with Nicole Latka and Barbara Maguire, Jenny Martin with Lynn Ahrndt and Lori Bluemel, Kelly Peak with Cindy Hill and Maggie Jolly, Tara Realing with Jennifer Christensen and Kala Williamson, Kimberly Sabus with Angela Ourth and Sarah Rowland, and Heather Sides with Lynn Ahrndt and Lori Bluemel; University Park Elementary: Jennifer Bowden with Cathie Hedlund and Tarra Wright.

The graduates who earned their secondary education pins, along with their mentor teachers and the school where they performed their residency:

Centennial Junior High: William Jaeger with Ernie Smith in technical education, and Kayci Stripling with Shane Palmer in secondary science education; Dean Morgan Junior High: Rebecca Murray with Carolyn Jacobs in secondary science education; Glenrock High: Stephen Jacobsen with Ed Katen and Cory Yingling in technical education, and Jamie Short with Joanne Schubert in secondary science education; Kelly Walsh High: Timothy Brown with Jerry Realing in secondary science education, Stephanie Jensen with Todd Trupp in secondary science education, and Ryan Owens with Dave Davis in technical education; Laramie High: Mark Estes with Ed Elliott in technical education; Natrona County High: Tricia Larson with Lynn Bell in secondary science education, Nathanial Penn with Scott Schutte in technical education, and Jacob Zeller with Chris Iselin and Doug Urban in technical education.