PROVO TEACHER NAMED 2011 EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR | Arts & Culture

Press Release from ScenicView Academy:

A local Utah County man was selected by the Washington DC based National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC) as the 2011 Educator of the Year.  Jared Stewart, who has taught at Provo's ScenicView Academy for nearly a decade, was flown to a resort on Sanibel Island, Florida earlier this year to receive the award at the association's 40th anniversary conference.

 

"I knew a lot of great teachers had been nominated from all over the country," Mr. Stewart says, "so it was a real shock when they told me I had won.  I think it's probably the highest honor I've ever received."  After graduating magna cum-laude from BYU and a short stint teaching Junior High history and world geography classes, Mr. Stewart decided to leave the public school system to pursue a career working with students with disabilities.  "I love working with Junior High kids," he says, "but I just really felt like I was part of an assembly line.  I got into teaching so that I could change lives-not just fill skulls-and special education offered me a chance to really make a difference."

 

Stewart says that he has found the fulfillment he was looking for in his work at ScenicView Academy-a private, non-profit school that helps high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders and other learning disabilities achieve successful independence.  Located just north of the Riverwoods shopping district, ScenicView has close to 80 residential and day students on its state-of-the-art campus, where he helps to instruct them in academic, social, creative, physical, and independent living skills.

 

In addition to his duties as a teacher at the year-round school, Stewart helps oversee the development of ScenicView's program design and curriculum, heads the education and art departments, and presents to state and national audiences about the unique strengths and challenges of autistic adults.

 

"I feel blessed to have found my calling," Stewart says.  "Our students have been basically disregarded by society.  They've finished high school and arrived at adulthood only to find that they've hit a wall.  Many of them struggle to maintain employment, relationships, housing, et cetera, and eventually they start to lose hope.  I am so privileged to help these individuals catch the vision of their true potential-to help them become their own best self and achieve their own best future."

 

Autism-spectrum disorders affect approximately one in every 110 Americans, and one in every 80 children in Utah has been diagnosed with the condition; which is characterized by social and communication deficits, sensory issues, and repetitive interests and behaviors.  The causes of ASD remain unknown, but a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors is suspected.  ScenicView Academy was founded by Ray and Tye Noorda to provide a place for individuals with ASD and/or other learning-disorders to receive help after public school support expires at age 21.