John DeGraffenried, the principal of Spanish Fork Junior High School, loves teaching and touching lives. That love earned him a Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education and a $10,000 prize.

The principal said he didn't expect to receive the award, which has been given out for 16 years by Karen and Jon Huntsman Sr.

"I was very surprised. I don't know how to describe it except that I was surprised and grateful," DeGraffenried said.

Karen Huntsman said in an e-mail that she and her husband give the awards because some teachers, administrators and school volunteers go unnoticed.

"We began the program 16 years ago to focus attention on Utah educators and their sacrifices and the tremendous difference they make in our children's lives," Huntsman said. "So many teachers are unsung heroes who go through their daily lives with little reward other than the personal satisfaction they must get out of the teaching experience, or they would be doing something else."

Spanish Fork Junior High counselor and teacher J. Merrill Hallam nominated DeGraffenried for the award because he has made strides in the school and has a student focus.

"Basically he does the right things for the right reasons," Hallam said.

Programs such as the advisory period that DeGraffenried implemented for students to work through their grades with a teacher have helped the school cut the number of students who are failing and push more of them into the ranks of A and B students.

"He's not a guy that's out to prove anything to anybody. He just wants to do what's best for kids," Hallam said.

DeGraffenried has been the principal at Spanish Fork Junior High for four years. Before that he was an assistant principal and a technology teacher. He said he likes making a difference in the lives of students. Last week he received a letter from a former student who was inspired by DeGraffenried's classes to become an architect.

"Those kinds of things are what make teaching rewarding," DeGraffenried said.

He said he hasn't made plans for his prize money.

"Boy, I haven't decided yet. It's too much of a shocker," DeGraffenried said.

Huntsman said she wants the teachers to use the award money somewhere besides their classroom.

"We encourage the winners to use the $10,000 awards to splurge on something for themselves or on their families because they are the ones we hope will enjoy having the extra money," she said.

• Brittani Lusk can be reached at 344-2549 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it