SIERRA VISTA — A biology teacher at Willcox High School was named Cochise County’s Teacher of the Year Friday night, during which 24 others were honored.

Janna Riggs, a biology teacher at Willcox High School, received the 2008 Cochise County Teacher of the Year Award at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center on Friday evening (Mark Levy•Herald/Review).

Noting that there were so many hard-working and dedicated teachers present in the room at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center, Janna Riggs said that when her name was announced as the top teacher, “I was totally surprised. The competition was very keen.”

She has been teaching at the Willcox Unified School District for the past 13 years, trying to instill in high school students the importance of science, especially her specialty, biology.

There is no question in Riggs’ mind that students want to learn, but it is difficult in the more rural areas of the state because of the lack of financial resources. That also makes the challenge more exciting to her.

Dedicated teachers will find ways to teach. For her, it includes obtaining material, such as fungi, her current teaching tool.

“I get them from my ranch,” she said.

There also is a need for science teachers to use other technology. For her, that includes taking students to the library where they can research using the Internet.

During her time in the Willcox classroom, many of her students have found an interest in science and have  gone on to college with a desire to learn more.

One of her former students is taking courses to become a molecular biologist, another has become a dentist and others are going on to seek degrees in a number of science specialties, Riggs said.

Trudy Berry, the Cochise County superintendent of schools, said being chosen the county’s top teacher means Riggs will compete against others in the Arizona Rural School Association and the Arizona Education Foundation for state-level awards.

The nominees for the county award were top teachers, making it difficult for the six-member committee to make the decisions, said Berry, noting no committee member works for her.

There were 175 people at the dinner affair, during which The Delicate Impression and Anthem instrumental and singing groups of the St. David High School, which recently won a top award in California, entertained.

There were 11 elementary school teachers of the year, five from middle schools and four from high schools, as well as five from education special projects, who were honored at the event.

Besides Riggs, the individual high school winners were Cassie Smith of the Benson Unified High School District, Ruth DeBoer of the Douglas Unified School District and Diana Hamberger of the Valley Union High School District.

The top elementary teacher was Cecelia Delgado of the Greenway Elementary School in the Bisbee Unified School District.

Other elementary teachers who won the honor from their local districts were Adrian Lucero of the Bowie Unified School District; Kim Bullington of the Cochise Elementary District; Kevin Alvardo and Beverly Enriquez from two of the schools in the Douglas Unified School District; Desiree Madarang of the Gen. Myer Elementary School on Fort Huachuca; Barbara Waggoner of Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic School; Holly Faccio of Pearce Elementary District; Kathlee Krebs of Huachuca Mountain Elementary School and Cynthia Williams of the Carmichael Elementary School, both part of the Sierra Vista public schools; and Ron Higginbotham of the St. David Unified District.

Anne Houser of the Apache Middle School in the Sierra Vista public schools was the top middle school teacher.

Other middle school winners were Fernando Morales of the Douglas Unified School District; Melanie Shumsky of the Palominas Elementary District, which has students up to the eighth grade; Dahlen Edington of the Pomerene Elementary District, which also has students up to the eighth grade; and Jamie Crothers of the San Simon Unified District.

David Gauch of the Huachuca Mountain Elementary School in the Sierra Vista public schools was named the top teacher and program in the education special projects category for “Lighting Bolts Robotics.”

Other winners were Wendy Swanson of the Benson Unified School District for “Primary Reading Intervention,” Paula Beacom of the Douglas Unified School District for “Jardin de Paraíso,” Susan Jacoby of the Col. Smith Middle School on Fort Huachuca for the “Step It up Club,” and Kathy Galles of the Sierra Vista public schools for the “Town and Country Elementary School Environmental Club.”