Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Chris Olson recently received the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Distinguished Educator Award.

Olson grew up on a dairy farm near Highland where he graduated from high school in 1992. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville from 1992 to 1997 completing a double major in elementary education and broad field social studies in secondary education. Upon graduation from UWP, Olson taught third grade in the Iowa-Grant school district from 1997 through 2000, as well as coaching freshman boys' basketball.

While working at Iowa-Grant, Olson earned his master's degree in education with a middle school emphasis from UWP in 1999. From 2000 to 2004, he taught seventh grade social studies, reading and science in the Sauk Prairie school district while completing his school principal and director of curriculum and instruction licensures from Edgewood College. He served as an elementary principal in the school district of Baraboo at North Freedom Elementary from 2004 to 2006 and at the West School Kindergarten Center from 2005 to 2006. Olson worked as the Mineral Point elementary principal and director of curriculum and instruction from 2006 to 2008. He recently graduated with an Education Doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College and is currently the Stoner Prairie Elementary principal in Fitchburg within the Verona area school district.

Says Olson, "Thank you very much for the recognition of Distinguished Educator Award. I am very honored, appreciative and humbled by this award. It is very meaningful to me."

Contact: Carolyn Fries, liberal arts and education dean's office, (608) 342-1151, friesc@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Dawn Picton, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, pictond@uwplatt.edu