Economic Literacy Colorado announced today that Estes Park Middle School teacher Jeff Arnold has been named the 2022 Koelbel Enterprising Teacher of the Year. This 35th annual recognition, awarded during National Financial Literacy Month, recognizes exemplary teaching of economic or personal financial education, which provides students with essential skills to use in their personal, professional and civic lives.
Jeff Arnold currently teaches U.S. history to eighth-graders and has been a fixture in the Estes Park community and local school district for more than 30 years. Arnold believes no great teacher is ever finished learning and is an advocate for professional development opportunities for the district’s staff. His commitment to furthering his economic education has allowed him to evolve and create lesson plans on wide-ranging and relevant topics like cryptocurrency, foreign trade and tariffs, inflation and government spending.
“I’m honored to be named the Koelbel Enterprising Teacher of the Year. A good foundation of economics concepts and a knowledge of Personal Financial Literacy has never been more important than it is now in the United States,” said Jeff Arnold. “This information allows people to make better decisions in everything from elections to how best to spend one’s own money. This award is especially gratifying because it recognizes an entire teaching career, not a single event, and I thank those responsible for selecting me.”
“Jeff embodies the spirit of this award by inspiring students to learn about economics and understand their important role in our economy,” said Debbie Pierce, president and CEO of Economic Literacy Colorado. “He goes above and beyond by serving as a resource to teachers in his school and the district, and he’s made a positive impact on generations of Estes Park students over the course of his long career.”
Arnold will be recognized at the upcoming Economic Literacy Colorado Donor Appreciation Breakfast on Wednesday, April 27. Accompanying the recognition is a $2,000 cash award.
This Koelbel Enterprising Teacher of the Year award is named in honor of Buz and Sherri Koelbel, longstanding supporters of Economic Literacy Colorado and the teaching of economics and personal finance to teachers and students. The recognition of exemplary teachers like Arnold is precisely what they had in mind when they lent their name to this award in 2016.
About Economic Literacy Colorado
Economic Literacy Colorado empowers Colorado students to achieve a lifetime of economic understanding and financial security by providing economic and personal financial education to students, teachers and districts through university-accredited professional development and classroom resources. To learn more, please visit www.econlitco.org and follow Economic Literacy Colorado on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.