Wartburg College will recognize two outstanding high school teachers at its commencement Sunday, May 27.
Douglas Cole, an English teacher and forensics coach at Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, Colo., and Paul Mugan, a biology teacher at Waverly-Shell Rock High School, will be honored during the ceremony, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Hoover Fieldhouse & Track in the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center.
Members of Wartburg’s Class of 2018 nominated high school teachers who significantly influenced their education. The teachers will receive $500 each, and a $500 scholarship will be available to a rising senior from their respective schools who attends Wartburg.
Naomi Alene, a business administration major from Aurora, Colo., said the “flexibility and freedom students were given (in Cole’s class) ignited creativity and imagination in each student.”
“Because he believed in (my writing), I began to believe in myself. I started to project what I believed,” Alene wrote. “For the first time, I was performing well in an English class. It wasn’t because Mr. Cole taught me any new reading or writing skills, it was just because he believed in me. He never let me accept average as my best because he believed I was more.”
Morgan Neuendorf, an engineering science major from Plainfield, said she was “overwhelmed” by Mugan’s positive attitude.
“Mr. Mugan played a role in developing my love for science by demonstrating his love for the subject,” Neuendorf wrote. “His ability to draw people in and lift their spirits is something that cannot be taught. He genuinely cares about his students, and he continues to show his kindness through patient teaching efforts, innovative strategies and celebrating alumni’s successes after their time at W-SR.”
Cole, who graduated from Wartburg in 2004 with a degree in secondary English education and from Graceland University with a master’s degree in education, also serves as his school’s English Department coordinator, Writing Center director and freshman seminar coordinator. He has coached more than 100 state and 30 national forensics qualifiers, three state champions and one national champion.
As a College Board national faculty member, Cole facilitates professional development workshops around the country on Pre-AP course strategies. His work with the Colorado Education Initiative and the Denver Scholarship Foundation aims to increase the number and diversity of students succeeding in AP English Language and Composition courses.
Mugan graduated from Wartburg in 1991 with a degree in biology. He also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2008 and a certificate in e-learning and online teaching from UW-Stout in 2015. He serves on the W-SR district technology curriculum and K-12 science curriculum committees and as a Carver reading strategist and E2T2 Program team member.
An advocate for e-learning techniques, Mugan has presented at numerous science and education conferences on flipped and blended learning, blended learning and the iPad, paperless classrooms and gamification of digital field collections. He is a member of the National Association of Biology Teachers and Iowa Academy of Science and volunteers with IOWATER. He also serves on Wartburg’s Alumni Board.
Douglas Cole, an English teacher and forensics coach at Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, Colo., and Paul Mugan, a biology teacher at Waverly-Shell Rock High School, will be honored during the ceremony, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Hoover Fieldhouse & Track in the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center.
Members of Wartburg’s Class of 2018 nominated high school teachers who significantly influenced their education. The teachers will receive $500 each, and a $500 scholarship will be available to a rising senior from their respective schools who attends Wartburg.
Naomi Alene, a business administration major from Aurora, Colo., said the “flexibility and freedom students were given (in Cole’s class) ignited creativity and imagination in each student.”
“Because he believed in (my writing), I began to believe in myself. I started to project what I believed,” Alene wrote. “For the first time, I was performing well in an English class. It wasn’t because Mr. Cole taught me any new reading or writing skills, it was just because he believed in me. He never let me accept average as my best because he believed I was more.”
Morgan Neuendorf, an engineering science major from Plainfield, said she was “overwhelmed” by Mugan’s positive attitude.
“Mr. Mugan played a role in developing my love for science by demonstrating his love for the subject,” Neuendorf wrote. “His ability to draw people in and lift their spirits is something that cannot be taught. He genuinely cares about his students, and he continues to show his kindness through patient teaching efforts, innovative strategies and celebrating alumni’s successes after their time at W-SR.”
Cole, who graduated from Wartburg in 2004 with a degree in secondary English education and from Graceland University with a master’s degree in education, also serves as his school’s English Department coordinator, Writing Center director and freshman seminar coordinator. He has coached more than 100 state and 30 national forensics qualifiers, three state champions and one national champion.
As a College Board national faculty member, Cole facilitates professional development workshops around the country on Pre-AP course strategies. His work with the Colorado Education Initiative and the Denver Scholarship Foundation aims to increase the number and diversity of students succeeding in AP English Language and Composition courses.
Mugan graduated from Wartburg in 1991 with a degree in biology. He also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2008 and a certificate in e-learning and online teaching from UW-Stout in 2015. He serves on the W-SR district technology curriculum and K-12 science curriculum committees and as a Carver reading strategist and E2T2 Program team member.
An advocate for e-learning techniques, Mugan has presented at numerous science and education conferences on flipped and blended learning, blended learning and the iPad, paperless classrooms and gamification of digital field collections. He is a member of the National Association of Biology Teachers and Iowa Academy of Science and volunteers with IOWATER. He also serves on Wartburg’s Alumni Board.