Carson High School teacher Penny Reynolds is recognized for Excellence in the Classroom

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and Golden Corral recently presented the James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award to Penny Reynolds of Carson High School in Carson City and Cecilia Stec of Kentlake High School in Washington State.

The $5,000 cash prize is awarded annually by Golden Corral to two ProStart educators who excel both in and out of the classroom. Additionally, more than 30 educators were named recipients of the 2014 ProStart Educator of Excellence Award.

“As an industry leader, Golden Corral is committed to education and training,” said Ted Fowler, president and CEO of Golden Corral. “It is our honor to recognize the dedication of ProStart educators like Penny and Cecilia, and the significant role they play in helping students realize opportunities that are available to them in the restaurant industry.”

The James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Award was established in 2002 in commemoration of Golden Corral’s 30th anniversary and as a tribute to Maynard, the company’s chairman and founder. Reynolds and Stec were selected from the group of 35 ProStart Educator Excellence Award winners for 2014.

The NRAEF’s ProStart Educator Excellence Awards recognize exceptional educators who utilize the ProStart program in their classrooms. Each participating state restaurant association nominates its leading educator who has demonstrated a strong commitment to his or her students and to the ProStart program. Award recipients were honored at the NRAEF’s Educator Excellence Awards Dinner at the Warwick Allerton Hotel in Chicago on Friday, May 16.

“ProStart educators are instrumental in helping students understand how numerous and exciting the career opportunities in the restaurant industry really are, and provide a solid foundation of management and culinary skills to prepare students to enter the workforce,” said Rob Gifford, executive vice president, strategic operations and philanthropy for the National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “We are grateful to all of our ProStart educators, and are pleased to recognized our 2014 Educator of Excellence and James H. Maynard award winners.”

ProStart Educator Excellence Awardees include:

Darcy Glagolich – Kodiak High School (Kodiak, Alaska)

Jennifer Park – Conway Are Career Center (Conway, Ark.)

Adrian Schueneman – Pacific Grove High School (Pacific Grove, Calif.)

Katy Waskey – ThunderRidge High School (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)

Nathaniel Bradshaw – Wilbur Cross High School (New Haven, Conn.)

Jennifer Cornell – Cape Henlopen High School (Lewes, Del.)

Rick Ceglio – Sickles High School (Tampa, Fla.)

Debbie Grant – Maxwell High School of Technology (Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Thomas Dwyer – Oswego High School (Oswego, Ill.)

Shelley Rust – Kokomo Area Career Center (Kokomo, Ind.)

Elaine Wolf – Des Moines Central Campus High School (Des Moines, Iowa)

Glenna Nance – Blue Valley Academy (Overland Park, Kan.)

Carolyn Senac – Mandeville High School (Mandeville, La.)

Faith Kling – Edmondson-Westside High School (Baltimore, Md.)

Robin Bergeron – Barnstable High School (Barnstable, Mass.)

Joe Carmolli – Careerline Tech Center (Holland, Mich.)

Lois Lewis – Indus School (Birchdale, Minn.)

Suzanne Raley – Clark County Career & Tech School (Quitman, Miss.)

Cheryl Landers – Grandview High School (Grandview, Mo.)

Suzanne Myers – Scottsbluff High School (Scottsbluff, Neb.)

Penny Reynolds – Carson High School Culinary Arts (Carson City, Nev.)

Thomas Patierno – James Caldwell High School (West Caldwell, N.J.)

Glenda DePaula – Pojoaque Valley High School (Santa Fe, N.M.)

Peter Desmond – Questar III, Columbia-Greene Education Center (Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y.)

Shelley Harper – Swansboro High School (Swansboro, N.C.)

Debra Bates – Lancaster High School (Lancaster, Ohio)

Heidi Larson, Tualatin High School (Tualatin, Ore.)

Linda Musch – Chariho Career and Technical Center (Junction, R.I.)

Chris Moree – Anderson Career and Technology Center (Williamston, S.C.)

LaKisha Jordan – McIntosh School District & Lemmon High School (Lemmon, S.D.)

Richmond Flowers – Bradley Central High School (Cleveland, Tenn.)

Reginald Martin – Westside High School (Houston, Texas)

Kay Morgan – Murray High School (Murray, Utah)

Lee DeMatteo – Spotsylvania Career & Technical Center (Spotsylvania, Va.)

Cecilia Stec – Kentlake High School (Kent, Wash.)

Lesa Kay Spears – Academy of Career and Technology (Beckley, W.V.)

Lynn Borski – Lincoln High School (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)

ProStart is the nation’s premier culinary arts and restaurant management program, utilized in more than 1,700 high schools in 48 states, Guam and on U.S. military bases and reaching nearly 100,000 secondary students annually. Administered by the NRAEF, ProStart prepares young people to pursue additional studies or enter a rewarding career in the foodservice sector. Many post-secondary schools in the nation recognize ProStart’s Certificate of Achievement, which is awarded to students who complete both levels of the program and at least 400 hours of work experience, and reward them with scholarships and credits.

For more information on the ProStart program, visit NRAEF.org/ProStart or find us on Twitter or Facebook.