Carol Demers of West Homer Elementary School and Jamie Leman of Ninilchik School have been named BP Teachers of Excellence. They share the honor with Kenai Middle School teachers Rosemary Bird and Ken Felchle and with Jason Daniels of K-Beach Elementary School.

Demers has a long history of teaching in the Kenai Peninsula School District. She was a Title 1 teacher-aid at Paul Banks Elementary School, taught at Chapman School in Anchor Point and has been a fourth-grade teacher at WHES for four years.

Describing Demers "excellence," WHES Principal Charlie Walsworth recalled when Chapman was making budget cuts and Demers expressed interest in transferring to WHES. While driving his own sons back from a school-related event, Walsworth asked a student in his vehicle who had previously been taught by Demers what she thought of her former teacher.

"Oh yes, she was a really good teacher, but, gol, she just wouldn't let me fail," Walsworth recalled the student saying. "I was terrible at math; now, I'm pretty good at it, but she wouldn't let me fail."

As Demers' principal, Walsworth knows what the student told him is true.

"I'm always looking for teachers that go the extra mile and we have a lot of teachers here like that, that go the extra mile to keep kids succeeding," Walsworth said. "(Demers) just can't see kids fail. She grinds out every single ounce of energy she has to help those kids succeed and prosper in her class. The cards some kids are dealt, she just tears those cards up and hands them a new deck and keeps on handing them a new deck until they get all aces."

Jamie Leman's ties to Ninilchik School are decades strong and generations deep. Her parents attended Ninilchik School; she is a graduate of Ninilchik School; her husband, Dan Leman, is a graduate of the school and the former Lady Wolverines basketball coach; and the couple's three children have attended Ninilchik School. According to Patricia Tilbury, Ninilchik School secretary, Leman has been Ninilchik's high school special education teacher for more than 20 years, making her Ninilchik's longest-standing faculty member. Her ability to prepare students for the future has earned Leman the title of "Teacher of Excellence."

"She has a unique place here," Tilbury said. "She's not just getting students through their school work, she's preparing them for the role they'll play when they leave school. She does a fantastic job. That's what makes her a teacher of excellence."

Nominations for the award come from a variety of sources including students, parents and colleagues, said LaDawn Druce, president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association. This year about 20 nominations were received. Teachers who have been nominated are asked to complete applications, which are reviewed by a committee comprised of a BP representative, a parent, Druce and others. Of interest to the committee are years of service and "we take their community service into consideration, in addition to what they've done in the classroom," Druce said.

This year's five Teachers of Excellence will be honored at a banquet in Soldotna May 14. The BP Kenai Peninsula Teacher of the Year will be announced at the same time.

"Each Teacher of Excellence gets a $500 VISA gift card and the Teacher of the Year receives an additional $1,500 that is often times used for continuing education, a conference or workshop or something," Druce said.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibbenjackinsky.@homernews.com.