
The University of New Mexico
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact: Laurie Mellas, 277-5915
May 11, 2006
UNM Honors Belen's Sapier as ‘Outstanding Teacher of the Year'
The University of New Mexico has named Belen High School's Candace Lea Sapier the 2005-06 Outstanding High School Teacher of the Year. The honor carries a $1,000 stipend.
Sapier will be honored at UNM's University Honors' Program convocation Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m. at the UNM Continuing Education complex.
“The Continuing Success Committee in University College established the award this spring to recognize a New Mexico teacher who plays a significant role in the success of a UNM student,” said University College Dean Peter White. “We want to support and honor role models such as Candace Sapier who reach beyond their schools to help students succeed in higher education.”
A member of the Penobscot Indian Tribe of Maine, Sapier has been a teacher in New Mexico for 26 years. For the past 16 years she has taught art at Belen High School. Sapier earned a master's in art education from UNM in 1984.
UNM student Lauren Lopez, who graduates Saturday, May 13, with a bachelor's in criminology and with university honors, nominated Sapier for the award.
Lopez wrote: "Ms. Sapier was my art teacher at Belen High School and has been a mentor to me while I have been an undergraduate at UNM. During my freshman year at UNM, Ms. Sapier inducted me as an honorary member of the National Honor Society for Belen High School. This set the stage for my success at UNM, because she recognized my potential for leadership and gave me the confidence to apply for other honor societies on campus. As a first generation college student, Ms. Sapier was such an asset to me ... I could turn to her for advice and support when I had no one else to turn to.”
The Continuing Success Committee is a group of UNM faculty, public school teachers and administrators working to improve college preparedness in high schools.
The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.
www.unm.edu