BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — It’s the last day of school for many students in our state, meaning students are receiving all kinds of different awards from sports to school attendance.

Now, educators at one North Dakota high school are being recognized for something a little bit different.

It’s the Patriot Award, and it’s given by the National Guard to employers who step up and help out when one of their employees is deployed.

When Bismarck Career Academy’s aviation teacher, Lamar Murchison, was deployed to Kosovo, it left a gaping hole in the team at the school.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking there for a while, I mean, it’s not like anybody and everybody can teach aviation,” shared Vice Principal Brian Beehler. “So, we kind of put our boots to the ground, and our advisory committee from different industries from throughout the community were a huge help in finding those people.”

Murchison nominated the administrators at the career academy for the award to thank them for all their help in making his time deployed just a little bit easier.

In addition to Beehler, Principal Dale Hoerauf and Secretary Connie Grause also received the award. Beehler said it came as a huge shock to him.

“I’m not really a person who feels uncomfortable a lot, but I felt really uncomfortable, and the temperature, I was like ‘oh man,’ I was taking a lot of deep breaths because I was just surprised,” laughed Beehler. “I mean, it’s so nice of him, as he’s over there fighting for our country, to think about nominating us for an award back here.”

Murchison said if he could have nominated the rest of the staff, he would have, for all the support they’ve shown him: they even helped his students make care packages for him.

Murchison is scheduled to come home this October.

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