The
Ezekiel Award
for
Excellence
in
Christian Witness
and
Teaching
Ezekiel Peter Wetlesen, a 2006 graduate of ECA, had the life goals of pursuing a teaching degree in mathematics and then returning to ECA to teach. Due to a brain tumor, Ezekiel was not able to pursue those goals. Therefore, he decided to establish an endowment to encourage and retain excellent teachers of effective Christian witness to teach in Christian schools. Ezekiel’s desire is that proceeds from the endowment provide stipends to award winners to augment their salary for the next year of teaching in a Christian school. This would encourage those teachers and enable them to continue teaching in Christian schools due to reduced financial concerns.
| Objective |
| Encourage and retain excellent teachers of effective Christian witness to continue teaching and witnessing in Christian primary and secondary schools. |
| Criteria |
| * Full-time teacher at ECA or ECA graduate teaching full-time at a primary or secondary Christian school, * Demonstrated effective Christian witness of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness (1 Tim 6:11) and encourage those qualities in others (students, staff & teachers), * Excellence in teaching as confirmed by peer and student reviews and assisting students to successfully apply their understanding of the subject matter, * Financial need (consideration, but not required) as indicated by student loans or need to work 2nd or 3rd job to support family or himself or herself, * By accepting the stipend, the teacher agrees to teach in a Christian school for the next year. |
| Applications |
| Students, teachers, parents, school administrators and ECA graduates can nominate candidates before the beginning of spring of the academic year. |
| Opinion |
| MORE THAN A BASKET Colorado Springs Gazette, CO – Feb 14, 2006 Deaths of local teens are a reminder to live well Colorado Springs Gazette, CO – Aug 22, 2007 |
| Recipients |
| 2022 – Will Pinson Mr. Will Pinson teaches Chemistry, Physical Science, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, and Honors Physics at the Evangelical Christian Academy secondary campus. Mr. Pinson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Geneva College. He has been involved in the ministry of ECA as the cross country coach since the fall of 2016 and as a teacher since August 2018. He loves math and science, and considers it is a joy to explore these fields with students, seeking to unfold a little bit of the mystery and wonder as well as the orderliness of God’s creation. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1. In the nomination package for The Ezekiel Award, Mr. Pinson was noted as “a shining example of Christian witness to his students through the way he interacts with students as a teacher and as our track coach. His speech is gentle, kind, and encouraging both in the classroom and out.” Furthermore, “In the classroom, he is faithful to instruct students each day not only in math and science, but also in the beauty of mathematics and science as a part of God’s creation.” Finally, “Mr. Pinson is a master teacher, clearly demonstrated by the fact that students consistently chose to take his upper-level classes (Honors Physics, Honors Pre-Calculus, and Calculus) because they trust him to make the learning clear, accessible, and valuable.” Full List of Recipients |