Nucla’s high school teacher, coach and school counselor Debbie Wytulka has received a prestigious state award by the VFW. Nominated by West End Public Schools and representing the 12th VFW district in Colorado, Wytulka has advanced to the national level in the competition.
John Reed, of the VFW Uranium Post No. 9058 in Nucla, told the Forum that annually each of the 13 state districts select one elementary, middle and high school teacher to participate in the program, called the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher program.
The local district encompasses Nucla, Dove Creek, Mancos and Durango. Nominations were due in the fall.
For the state selections, officials read through nominations for each of the three levels in all districts. Reed said the recommendation for Wytulka was very strong.
“What they look for is a teacher who is outstanding, but also promoting patriotism and learning — Hey, this is your country. Stand up for it and take care of it. It’s yours,” he said.
Nucla Principal Sara Bray told the Forum she drafted Wytulka’s recommendation on behalf of West End Public Schools. She said the criteria asked for specific examples of a teacher who exemplifies citizenship, innovation, resourcefulness and passion. In the past, criteria has asked about how the teacher exhibits patriotism, but that wasn’t necessarily a big part of this year’s application.
Still, Bray said Wytulka has her students participate in VFW essays on democracy and do other activities that could be considered patriotic.
“She does so many things behind the scenes, and she should be recognized for it,” Bray said.
Bray’s recommendation letter to state officials said, “On a scale of 1-25, Mrs. Wytulka hits a perfect 25 when it comes to encouraging and modeling citizenship for her students and coworkers.”
The letter mentioned Wytulka’s work in character building, especially in her restorative justice practices. It added that innovation is embedded in Wytulka’s curriculum for the business classes she teaches.
And, “Mrs. Wytulka is a master of squeezing a resource from every dry corner in both the community and school building,” the letter continued.
The recommendation also stated that Wytulka models passion “throughout her classroom and on the volleyball court,” and it concluded that “Even if she does not make it to the finals in this competition, she is Teacher of the Year in our hearts, hands down.”
Both Bray and Reed said the VFW state honor was special. It’s the first time Colorado’s District 12 has sent a teacher to the national level. Reed said good teachers are something to celebrate, and for this, he hopes all in the community will send prayers, thoughts or wishes her way.
“Going to the state level, she was chosen to represent Colorado's high school teacher,” Reed said. “Moving forward, the final round of competition will be at the national level. She will be going up against 50 other high school teachers to see who will be given this prestigious award. This is a win-win for our part of the world. Wish her the best.”
