Adrian schools alumni, teachers and mentors to be honored for 'outstanding contributions'

ADRIAN — Six alumni, teachers and mentors from Adrian Public Schools will be recognized this September for their contributions in education and to students, families and the broader APS community.

The 2024 Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Teacher/Mentor Award recipients will be honored at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, as part of the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation ’s (ASEF) annual awards ceremony; held on the campus of Adrian Public Schools in the Julianne and George Argyros Performing Arts Center at Adrian High School .

The event is open to the public and is sponsored by the ASEF and the Adrian High School Alumni Office. A dessert reception will follow the ceremony.

Recipients of the awards are as follows:

2024 Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award recipients

• Nick Conklin, history teacher and varsity wrestling coach at Adrian High School.
• Andrea Miller, art teacher at Adrian High School.
• Megan Walsh, paraprofessional at Michener Elementary School.

2024 Outstanding Alumni Award recipients

• Carlos Casanova, Class of 2001, assistant professor of education, Arizona State University; Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.
• Lad Strayer, Class of 1973, retired photojournalist with The Daily Telegram and community volunteer.
• Alan Wilkerson, Class of 1967, retired educator and businessman, former owner of the Governor Croswell Tea Room in downtown Adrian.

The Adrian Alumni Association established the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2008, alongside the educational foundation's Outstanding Teacher and Mentor Award.

“Since their inception, these awards have honored 80 alumni and 48 APS teachers for their remarkable achievements across various fields, including business, education, civic leadership, military service and the arts,” a news release from the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation said.

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In addition to Thursday’s awards ceremony, honorees will be recognized in the annual Adrian homecoming parade at 1 p.m. Friday and the homecoming football game also on Friday. The Maples are to play host against Ypsilanti Community High School at Maple Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Past practice has been to hold the awards ceremony the day before the homecoming festivities.

“This year’s recipients will also join their peers in the ASEF Outstanding Gallery, which can be viewed online at adriansef.org ,” the foundation said.

For more information about the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation, which has a mission of supporting the educational excellence at Adrian Public Schools through endowment grants, special projects and more; visit the website, call 517-263-2911 or send an email to asef@adrian.k12.mi.us .

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian schools alumni, teachers and mentors to be honored for 'outstanding contributions'