GRAVETTE -- Daniel Wietecha, math teacher at Gravette High School, has been named Arkansas' Teacher of the Year by the Oklahoma/Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America. MAA is the largest professional society that focuses on mathematics accessible at the undergraduate level.
A native of Camden, Wietecha has taught math at GHS since 2008.
"He has been praised by administrators, fellow teachers and students as a dedicated and innovative leader," said school superintendent Richard Page. "He has been credited with being instrumental in Gravette High School being named one of Arkansas' Most Achieving High Schools in Algebra," Page continued.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Arkansas Tech University, Wietecha was an engineer four years with companies such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing.
"Later," he said, "I began teaching at Lonoke High School for one year before coming to Gravette High School. I have been teaching here six years and I really enjoy teaching young people. It feels great that I can play a role in shaping their future," he said.
Wietecha and his wife, Virginia, are parents of two girls, Emma, 3, and Estelle, 1.
Gravette High Principal Jay Chalk, who nominated Wietecha for the honor, said, "Daniel Wietecha is one of the top young mathematical educators in the state. With his work, Gravette High was recently ranked fifth in the state of Arkansas based on student achievement in Algebra. He is at his best at having the ability to assess current student skills and match those skills with the correct instructional strategy for each student. I am very proud and honored to have him on our staff at Gravette High."
Each year the Oklahoma/Arkansas Section selects six mathematics teachers, three from Arkansas and three from Oklahoma, for this honor. Wietecha was selected as secondary (high school) Arkansas' Teacher of the Year.
General News on 04/02/2014