Timpanogos Middle School special education teacher Jessica Potter was cramming in her prep period during a busy school day in April 2024 when she was suddenly whisked away to the school library, which was jam-packed with her students, friends and to her surprise, family members — many of whom live out of state.
As school district faculty presented her with a cardboard check, as massive in size as the amount written on it, she realized what was happening: She had won the Wasatch County School District’s Distinguished Educator award.
The award is funded by an anonymous donor through the Wasatch Education Foundation, the community nonprofit that supports the school district through initiatives like awards and scholarships. The Distinguished Educator award was established in spring 2021 as a way to recognize superb educators in the district with more than just a pat on the back: a bonus of $10,000.
Now, applications are open to nominate educators for the 2026 Distinguished Educator Awards. All community members, students and fellow teachers can nominate an educator. This year, nine awards will be given: one from each elementary and middle school and two from Wasatch High School or Wasatch Learning Academy.
That’s no small sum: $90,000 total being awarded to educators in the district this year.
Potter put her $10,000 in a high-yield savings account and later bought her dream car, a Toyota Land Cruiser, with a “hefty down payment.”
“I’ve definitely had people be like, ‘You’re a teacher. How do you afford that car?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I put, like, $25,000 down. That’s the only way,’” she laughed.
As for Wasatch High School English language learning teacher Kim Foy, who won the award in 2022, she planned a trip to Disney World with her family as a thank you for supporting her career even when the scales of work-life balance tipped more toward work.
With the rest of the money, she made a contribution to the Wasatch Education Foundation’s student scholarship fund to pay forward the generosity she’d received.
For Foy, the most valuable part of receiving the award was hearing her students, who have come from 28 different countries during her eight-year tenure, tell her what they valued about her teaching. One student even created a certificate of her own to present to Foy, which is still hanging in her classroom.
“When I get students, sometimes I get them for multiple years. They have to pass a language test before they move out of the support class. And so, I really get to bond with my students,” Foy said. “I feel like I get to be kind of a school mom, and I get to cheer them on through their high school experience. And then, even when they graduate … a lot of my students have stayed in contact.”
Foy said being nominated for the award was a reminder that through the day-to-day grind, she really was making a difference in students’ lives.
Potter agreed. She had always wanted to be a teacher but studied athletic training in college specifically because she knew teachers were generally underpaid. She eventually gave in to her calling, though it hasn’t been easy work.
“Teaching is the most emotionally exhausting thing I can think of doing. It’s more emotionally exhausting than any friendship or relationship or task I have in my personal life. But because of that, I’m constantly wondering if I’m doing the right thing, if I am really making a difference, if I’m doing enough,” Potter said. “I didn’t think I was really the kind of person that thrived on validation, but it really was meaningful.”
After receiving the award, Potter began setting aside time in class so students could fill out a nomination — not only so they can reflect on the adults in their life they are grateful for, but also so they can tell that teacher, whether they win the award or not, that their efforts are being recognized.
Distinguished Educator nominations close on March 13. Nominees must be in at least their third year at the school they are teaching at and have not received the award in the past four years. The awards will be given during surprise presentations in April. Nominate an educator at bit.ly/DistEd2026.