Posted: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:41 AM - 10,350 Readers

By: Patrick George

Jennifer Atkinson of Austin was chosen tonight as a grand-prize winner at the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, which netted the Metz Elementary School teacher $10,000, as well as matching grant for her school.

Atkinson, who teaches first grade, has been a Metz teacher for about 10 years, H-E-B officials said.

Three other Central Texas educators were in the running for a grand prize: Sharon Smith from Lake Pointe Elementary in Lake Travis, Laurie Coker from Round Rock Westwood High School and Anna Pedroza, principal of the Austin school district’s Ortega Elementary. The Burnet school district was also a finalist for a grand prize.

The H-E-B awards recognized 40 educators and seven school districts this year, and a total of $380,000 in prizes was awarded at the event. The program was launched in 2002 as a way to reward Texas schools and teachers. It is the largest monetary recognition program for educators in the state and one of the largest in the nation.