Cheyenne (April 25, 2003) – Ten Wyoming teachers were honored today as recipients of the prestigious Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards. The teachers received the awards at a special ceremony at Cheyenne East High School.

Arch Coal President and Chief Executive Officer Steven F. Leer, accompanied by Gov. Dave Freudenthal, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Mary Kay Hill, and Kathryn Valido, a member of the executive committee of the Wyoming Education Association and the association’s representative at the National Education Association, presented awards to:



“Today, we honor 10 of the state’s best educators,” said Leer. “Those who safeguard, nurture and teach our children are truly the keepers of our future. To these teachers, Arch Coal says thank you for all that you do each and every day. Nothing could be more important.”

"It is truly an honor to be able to participate in the public recognition of the wonderful teachers of Wyoming, an event that occurs too rarely," Gov. Freudenthal said. "When I look back on my own schooling, I can tell you that what I remember are good teachers. The 10 being honored here today are among the best, and I know I speak for the people of Wyoming when I say we are all very proud of them."

"In Wyoming, teachers are often the golden nuggets of our communities," Hill said. "An exceptional teacher in your school is a great treasure and resource." "The Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Award has allowed us to recognize ten of those teachers in Wyoming and say well done," he said. "I just want to say thank you to all the teachers in our state that have dedicated their lives to our children's future."

“We commend Arch Coal for stepping forward and recognizing these outstanding teachers. It is an honor to partner with a member of Wyoming’s business community and to acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments that are occurring in our schools every day,” said Valido. “These teachers exemplify the dedication and hard work of the thousands of teachers and education employees in our public schools. We congratulate them!”

“The Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards program is unlike any other in Wyoming,” said Greg Schaefer, Arch Coal vice president, external affairs, western region. “It features public nomination and peer selection, giving our recipients even greater reason to take pride in their accomplishments.

“Once again, in this third year of our program, our judges found that the competition for the awards was fierce,” Schaefer said. ” Being one of the top 10 required an extremely high composite score from the judges. There were many other teachers who were within just fractions of a percentage point from being a recipient of this year’s awards.

“It was clear from the quality of the applications that Wyoming is blessed with many excellent teachers. We hope that they teachers who did not win a 2003 award are nominated again next year and that they will participate in the competition in the future,” he said.

Each recipient received a $2,500 unrestricted cash award and a distinctive glass trophy, in addition to other recognition. Arch Coal had support from the Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming Education Association, Taco John’s and MiniMart in promoting the program.

Arch Coal is the nation’s second largest coal producer and employs about 600 people in Wyoming. Arch produces more than 65 million tons of clean-burning, low-sulfur coal annually at its Wyoming operations. The company’s Black Thunder operation in Campbell County is one of the nation’s largest and most efficient coal mines. Arch Coal is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and maintains its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Mo.

Information about each of the 10 recipients is posted at: http://www.archcoal.com/community.asp?teacherawards_2003.