March 10, 2015 – Westwood High School teacher Penny Smeltzer has been named a finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education’s Secondary Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to education.

Smeltzer, an advanced placement statistics teacher, was surprised Tuesday morning by a group of H-E-B representatives during her first period class.

“Westwood is lucky to have a teacher as dedicated to education as Ms. Smeltzer,” said Laurelyn Arterbury, Westwood principal. “We are so proud that H-E-B is recognizing her hard work as a finalist for the Secondary Lifetime Achievement Award and know she will continue to positively impact students with her passion for teaching.”

Smeltzer was also nominated for an H-E-B Excellence in Education in 2013. Smeltzer has been teaching AP statistics for 25 years and said she enjoys working with students and bringing engaging lessons to the classroom each day.

While she works at Westwood during the year, Smeltzer also travels across the country to teach workshops aimed at empowering teachers and students to enjoy statistics and education in general.

“I have had the opportunity to work and learn from many outstanding teachers,” Smeltzer said. “The richness of my lessons couldn’t have been achieved without my colleagues that continue to help make my lessons meaningful for students.”