SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah state Board of Education announced Thursday that Weber High School theatre teacher Mark Berrett Daniels was named the 2022 Utah teacher of the year.
Daniels, who is a North Ogden resident, was presented with a $10,000 check and will now compete on a national level for the title of "National Teacher of the Year." He will also participate in a handful of state and national leadership opportunities.
In a press release, Weber High Principal Chris Earnest wrote,"It doesn’t matter who you are, Mark wants you in his class. He gets to know each student individually and structures his teaching to meet the different learning styles of his students. Mark teaches skills such as communication, relationship building, grit, endurance, resiliency, humility, grace and teamwork that help students become successful now and throughout life.”
The committee who selected Daniels was comprised of representatives from parent and teacher advocacy groups, charter schools and the Utah State Board of Education.
“Mr. Daniels is not only one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, but one of the kindest and hardworking as well,” wrote Ashton Smith, one of his former students in a press release. “Throughout my experience at Weber High, Daniels rarely takes days off, and is begging to come back as soon as possible whenever he misses rehearsals or classes. He is dedicated to his teaching and his theater department at Weber, and hundreds of students benefit from it every single year.”
One parent expressed that the passion Daniels shows towards his students is what truly sets him apart from the rest.
“His enthusiasm, love, and passion for teaching has garnered no competition. Mr. Daniels is in a league all on his own,” wrote Abigail J. Rigby, the parent of one of his students in a press release.
Daniels succeeds John Arthur, a fifth-grade teacher at Salt Lake City’s Meadowlark Elementary School
Davis School District math teacher Katherine "Kasey" Bradbury, who teaches at Bountiful Jr. High as well as Granite School District Spanish dual immersion teacher Albert Ferrarons Font, who teaches at West Lake STEM Jr. High were names runners up in the statewide competition.
