Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has announced winners of its Education Excellence Awards, a new program that aims to recognize Kentucky teachers, staff and administrators who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to achieve education excellence in 2020 and 2021.

Two award winners were selected from each of five regions. Each of the 10 winners across the state were honored with a special recognition ceremony and a $2,500 donation from Anthem to their school for classroom supplies or equipment.

This year’s winners are:
  • Western Kentucky: Jennifer Ellington, 1st-grade teacher at Lone Oak Elementary School (McCracken County)
  • Western Kentucky: Sara Hall, 3rd-grade teacher at Natcher Elementary School (Warren County)
  • Lexington Central: Randy Bricken, custodian at Campbellsville Elementary School (Campbellsville Independent)
  • Lexington Central: Stephanie Well, 4th-grade teacher at Southside Elementary School (Woodford County)
  • Eastern Kentucky: Brenda Fairchild, 8th-grade teacher at Johnson County Middle School
  • Eastern Kentucky: Jason Knott, physical education instructor at Johnson Central High School (Johnson County)
  • Greater Louisville: Jessica Stinson, special needs instructor at Noe Middle School (Jefferson County)
  • Greater Louisville: Lauren Graham, 3rd-grade teacher at St. Francis School
  • Northern Kentucky: Amber Moore, 2nd-grade teacher at Crittenden-Mt. Zion Elementary (Grant County)
  • Northern Kentucky: Cydney Conley, Family Resource and Youth Services Center director at Kathryn Winn Primary School (Carroll County)

“Teachers, custodians, school nurses, principals and everyone associated with education in Kentucky are among the true heroes of the last 18 months. It’s been a challenging time to be an educator and we too often take them for granted, yet education is a critical social driver of health and their contributions have been tremendous,” said Kennan Wethington, commercial president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky. “These awards are intended to provide another path for students, parents or anyone to honor those who have gone the extra mile – and put a little money in their schools’ education funds.”