Outstanding Young Educators named

Luis Torres, principal of PS 55 in the Bronx, and Brad Kuntz, teacher at Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Ore., are the winners of ASCD’s 2011 Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA). ASCD honored Torres and Kuntz today at its 66th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show in San Francisco, Calif.

Torres revitalized a New York elementary school, instigating a dramatic turnaround for the 700 prekindergarten through 5th grade students who attend PS 55.

A Spanish teacher by day, Oregon teacher Brad Kuntz devotes his time after school to teaching students environmental awareness and has established an environmental leadership course that inspired students to start recycling programs and create an on-campus compost system that fertilizes the school garden.