Clement wins Maryfrances Shreeve Award

For the last 14 years Carla Gail Clement has shepherded Missoula first graders through Hellgate Elementary School with the same level of excitement and warmth she had her first day on the job.

In recognition of her contribution to Missoula’s youth and her commitment to teaching excellence, Clement received this year’s Maryfrances Shreeve Award for Teaching Excellence from the UM School of Education.

Named for the late Maryfrances Shreeve, who taught with distinction around western Montana and was the first recipient, the award was created by her children in 1992. The winner is presented with a check for $2,000 and another check for $1,000 to be used for teaching resources or other school needs.

Clement, a graduate of Montana State University-Billings, has taught in Ronan, Great Falls and Missoula schools. Her classroom activities are designed to get kids excited about reading, including getting parents involved with “reading carnivals” and other lessons designed to excite and motivate students with a variety of learning styles.

“I am filled with overwhelming gratitude and such appreciation for the recognition of doing what I love,” Clement said. “I could not ask for a more rewarding job or better way to spend my days at work.”

Three other teachers were recognized as finalists for the award. They are David E. Bixby, a fifth-grade teacher at Missoula’s Hellgate Elementary 3-5 School; Marie-Anne Toussaint King, a third-grade teacher at Chief Charlo Elementary School; and Coleene Torgerson, a kindergarten instructor at Lakeside Elementary School in Somers. The winner and each of the finalists completed their elementary education degree at a Montana college or university. All were honored April 13 at the annual School of Education reception sponsored by UM President George Dennison.