Nominations for the JCEA awards will open in spring 2024.
The Robert Hawkins Award
This award honors the life and legacy of Robert Hawkins, who served on the JCEA board of directors and fought for a more equitable Jefferson County. As chair of the Ethnic Minority Outreach Action Team, he spearheaded the effort to include equity language in the JCEA contract. This article was introduced in February of 2021. That month, Robert Hawkins passed away. However, his article was officially incorporated into the contract that September, making Jeffco the first county in Colorado to have ever included an equity article in their contract. The award is given out to recognize exceptional contributions to Robert’s mission, and is generally given to a person in Jefferson County that has done work on behalf of minorities and groups that have faced discrimination.
2023 Winner: Monica Mendez
Diamond Award
This award recognizes a JCEA member for outstanding service in education through collective bargaining. To be nominated for the award, the member must have participated extensively in bargaining, be in good standing with the union, and have been active in JCEA for no less than ten years.
2023 Winner: Richard Sanchez
Super Jeffy
This award honors members for their sustained involvement and participation in JCEA over a period of not less than fifteen years. Nominees must be a previous Jeffy Award winner and must show evidence of continued teacher advocacy and dedication to the teaching profession.
2023 Winner: Ang Anderson
Leilani Tanner
Leilani Tanner, a teacher organizer in The Jefferson County Education Association, was a true champion for public education. She passed away on September 27th, 2018. The 2013 Jefferson County School Board election was a setback for the educators, students, and parents. The once pro-public education school board was transformed into a hostile and destructive force bent on dismantling our neighborhood schools.This could have been a fatal blow to our district, but many organizers, like Leilani, refused to give this destructive school board majority power. Her commitment to standing up for her community is an ideal that all educators and organizers should strive for. The award is generally given to candidates who have found a way to transform their community through grassroots organizing.
2023 Winner: Taylor Davis
The Lion Award
The Lion Award recognizes organizers within JCEA that have shown fierce commitment to expanding the power of educators within Jefferson County. Recipients of this award go above and beyond to ensure that the voice of educators is always heard, and that their voice is always growing more powerful. Recipients must be a JCEA member in good standing, have participated extensively in contract negotiations, been consistently involved in the union, been a consistent advocate of teacher rights, and demonstrated a concern for the advancement of the teaching profession.
2023 Winner: Natalie Calahan & Jamie Peters
Jeffy
This award honors members for their contributions to the profession through participation in both the union and their position as an educator. Nominees must be active JCEA members, contributors to the positive image of educators, and have maintained activism and leadership in the union for at least a five year period. They must also have displayed active leadership through an elected or appointed office in the Association.
2023 Winner: Kay Landon
Friend of Education
The Friend of Education Award honors an individual who has contributed to and/or supports public education in Jefferson County and/or Colorado. The nominee’s selection requires a rationale for their being nominated, as well as evidence of their support for public education.
2023 Winner: Stuart Sanks, aka Shirley Delta Blow, and the Parasol Patrol