Oakley Van Oss of Summit High School can now hang a Congressional Service Award over his workbench.
Today in Boulder the shop and welding teacher was named Educator of the Year by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse. He was the only high school teacher in our district honored at the ceremony, along with outstanding first responders, volunteers, and environmental stewards.
Van Oss has been a driving force behind the Summit High Tiny Home program, where students build a tiny home from scratch and donate it to a family in need. Van Oss helped forge partnerships with local businesses, like Breckenridge Building Center, for materials and local expertise.
The first student-built tiny home was completed and donated this past school year. This year a new batch of future contractors are building a second tiny home.
In November Van Oss was recognized as Outstanding Educator by The Summit Foundation.
Congrats to Oakley!