A Millard School District teacher won the state’s top education honors Sept. 8 when he was named Utah’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.
Chad Warnick, an agriculture, biology, leadership, and communications teacher at the Delta Technical Center, was named the state’s top teacher during a banquet ceremony in Salt Lake City.
The 17-year veteran educator is perhaps best known locally for leading Delta High’s widely-respected Future Farmers of America chapter.
Warnick goes on to represent the state in a national competition in Washington, D.C., featuring teachers of the year from across the country. He also received a check for $10,000 as part of the award.
Warnick was chosen by a committee made up of parent and teacher advocacy organizations, charter schools, and members of the Utah State Board of Education.
The longtime educator posted on social media after the awards banquet that he was grateful for the honor.
“I have been so humbled by this experience to be named the Utah Teacher of the Year and grateful for the kindness shown by so many of my friends, family, students, and community members. I am grateful for this Delta Community that I live in, for the FFA family that I belong to, and to be part of this great profession of teaching,” he wrote.
Millard School District also celebrated the honor, posting on its social media page that Warnick “represent(s) all of our educators well! What a great night!”
Runners-up for the honor included Ogden Preparatory Academy charter school eighth grade science teacher Teresa Hislop and East Meadows Elementary School (Nebo School District) second grade teacher Tracy Warenski, according to a State Board of Education press release.
Monica D. Giffing, a fellow ag teacher from Landmark High School, said Warnick was more than deserving of the honor, merely for the positive impact he has on his students and their futures.
“Mr. Warnick is the kind of teacher that students will be talking about for years to come,” she wrote. “He is not only committed to educating students on the subjects he teaches but he engrains life skills into their lives that they will use forever. His rapport with his students is unmatched, they too enjoy working, learning and playing alongside him.”
Delta Technical Center Principal Brett Callister also commended Warnick, writing that he doesn’t just teach and convey information, but “guides each student to have a belief in themselves that they can succeed in life.”
Alyssa Ewell, a former student of Warnick’s who went on to become CEO of Ewell Education Services, said Warnick’s mentoring often goes far beyond the high school classroom and into college and the workforce.
“Ten years after graduation, I continue to rely on Mr. Warnick for advice and guidance and I know there are many other former students who do the same,” she wrote. “The relationships that he builds in the classroom extend far beyond high school and he often continues to mentor students throughout college.”
Warnick succeeds 2022 Utah Teacher of the Year Mark Berrett Daniels, a theatre teacher at Pleasant View’s Weber High School.
