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West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers' Association
(WVFLTA)
Awards
WVFLTA Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award
With this award, WVFLTA recognizes and honors West Virginia World Language educators whose teaching practices and professional qualities exemplify the highest standards of our profession. ​Awards are made for both K-12 (yearly) and Higher Ed. teachers.
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The teacher(s) chosen will be announced and honored at the Fall Conference, and the K-12 teacher will have the opportunity to represent WVFLTA in the selection process for the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) Teacher of the Year.
2025-26 Recipient: Congratulations Li Jung Chang! Pictured with past winners and Toy committee members Blanca Skaggs and Maria "Lola" Contreras.
Founders' Award
Established in 1999, this award honors an individual who has excelled in the areas of language teaching and/or global education. The awardee has consistently demonstrated professional dedication and enthusiasm, as well as leadership in the promotion of language learning or international studies.
Recipients of this award are:
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1999 - Debbie Brown, Former WVDE World Language Coordinator
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2003 – Jay Cole, Deputy Secretary of Education and the Arts
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2025 - Nancy Ryan, Berkeley Co. Schools Former World Language Coordinator; NBCT
Nancy Ryan
Nick
Emily
Best of West Virginia 2026:
"Liberty as life's work: An ideal, a motivating force and a lesson for today"
Emily Wanger, Spring Mills HS;
Nick Shangler, Marshall University;
with guest Julien Icher, President, The Lafayette Trail, Inc.
Emily and Nick will represent WVFLTA with their session at the SCOLT Conference 2026!
Best of West Virginia
The “Best of West Virginia” session is selected at each year’s conference from presentations given by K-16 West Virginia language teachers. Criteria for the award includes relevancy of the content, quality of the presentation, and audience engagement. The selected session has the opportunity to represent West Virginia at a future regional conference.
Milestone Award
Instituted in 2022 under the leadership of Blanca Skaggs, Chair of the WVFLTA Awards Committee, the Milestone Award recognizes each teacher’s years of service to West Virginia's language learners.
National Board-Certified Teachers
National Board Certification was designed to develop, retain, and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide. It is the most respected professional certification available in K-12 education!
Created by teachers for teachers, the National Board Standards represent a consensus among educators about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The certification process requires that teachers demonstrate evidence of the positive effect they have on students' learning plus knowledge of their students, content area, effective teaching practices.
Seal of Biliteracy
The Seal of Biliteracy is a nationally recognized award that validates proficiency in English and at least one other language. Added to the high-school transcript, the Seal of Biliteracy affirms the recipient’s ability to communicate in both languages – an asset in future study and employment.
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Since 2021, 295 Seals of Biliteracy have been awarded in 27 different schools in 20 counties in West Virginia. 29 West Virginian teachers have prepared and encouraged their students to achieve this award!
Visit the WV World Language page of the WVDoE website for more information and a list of awardees for each year:
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