Local educator earns presidential award
Long-time educator, James Widner, has been named a 2026 Presidential Scholars Program's Distinguished Teacher.
Widner teaches Agricultural Education at House Municipal High School and was nominated by Presidential Scholar, Madison Kenyon.
The Distinguished Teachers List honors exceptional educators across the US with diverse subjects and locations.
There are 40 total teachers honored with the award this year with 3 teachers hailing from New Mexico. In addition to Widner, Sharon Hurley from Los Alamos High School and David Metzler from Albuquerque Academy also received the prestigious recognition.
The full list of recipients can be found here: 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program's Distinguished Teachers
