Teachers’ Applications Due March 10

Wright, WY – April 21, 2003 - The first phase of the popular Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards program closed with 438 Wyoming teachers being nominated, according to Greg Schaefer, vice president of external affairs for the western region of Arch Coal, Inc. The total does not include multiple nominations for the same teacher.

“The number of nominations is further proof that the people of Wyoming recognize we are blessed with many outstanding teachers,” Schaefer said. “It also supports Arch Coal’s belief that teaching excellence is a cornerstone of educational achievement by our children.”

Completed applications from nominated teachers are due March 10, Schaefer said. A blue ribbon panel of outstanding teachers, many of them previous Arch Coal award recipients, judges the applications. “For the third consecutive year, we have asked Wyoming citizens to tell us who they believe rank among the best teachers in the state. Then, we have other excellent teachers serve as judges of their peers,” Schaefer explained. “The combination of public nomination and peer selection makes our teacher recognition program one of the most unique in the country.”

Ten teachers will receive unrestricted $2,500 grants from Arch Coal. The Wyoming Department of Education, the Wyoming Education Association, Taco John’s and MiniMart help promote the program and also support it in additional ways. The awards are expected to be made in late April.

Arch Coal is the nation’s second largest coal producer and employs more than 500 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.