By JAMIE BURDORF
Josh Denhart (left) and Anthony Black (right)
With an April 6th date set, the Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation is busy preparing for their third annual “Excellence in Education” banquet which will be held at the Elks Lodge in Shenandoah and is open to the public.
There will be a social hour starting at 5:00 PM with dinner to follow.
As far as the program itself, the foundation will honor teachers and staff members who have at least 25 years of service in the education field and there will be entertainment by the high school music department, under the direction of Ashleigh and Elliott Smith.
Featured speaker will be Josh Denhart, of the SHS Class of 1993. Denhart earned a BA in chemistry education from UNI and spent the majority of his teaching career at Valley High School in West Des Moines. In 2006, Denhart changed careers, serving over a decade as the children's pastor of a megachurch in West Des Moines. During that time, Denhart built a traveling educational science show called, "The Amazing Chemistry Show" and self-published three science-themed vacation Bible school curricula. He is a published author, international public speaker and an occasional local TV personality.
Anthony (Tony) Black, an SHS 1980 graduate, is being awarded the foundation’s third “Alumnus of the Year” award. Black graduated from the University of Iowa for his undergraduate degree and the University of Virginia where he attended law school. Black currently lives in Arlington, VA, and works in Washington, D.C. He has been a lawyer for Verizon where he has worked for the past 20 years.
The “Spirit Award” that was introduced last year will once again be presented to staff for those showing school spirit, a positive attitude, kindness and a passion for the students and school. Nominations were taken from the staff themselves!
Mark your calendars - tickets will go on sale on Monday, February 19th and be available at any of the school offices or by reaching out to Jamie Burdorf, Amy Miller, Julie O’Hara, Paula Brownlee or Nick Bosley. To reserve and pay for your tickets online go to www.shenandoahiowaeducationfoundation.org. If you have any questions on how to reserve or purchase tickets, please reach out to us at: sheniaeducationfoundation@gmail.com.