RELEASE DATE: July 19, 2024 As the school year came to a close, two Great Falls teachers received special recognition as they were named BNSF Railway Teachers of the Year. The honor this year went to Coda Tchida of Great Falls High School and Ryan Faulk of Riverview Elementary.
Each teacher received $2,500 to use for continuing education or classroom enhancements. BNSF Railway sponsors the awards annually as part of the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation’s Excellence in Education program.
Each year the program honors the top graduating students from Great Falls High, CM Russell High and Paris Gibson Education Center. In turn, each student selects two educators – one from elementary or middle school and one from high school – who had the most positive impact on their education. The BNSF award winners are selected from those teachers by a group of educators and community members.
Coda Tchida, a health enhancement teacher and coach at GFH, is an outstanding teacher and lifelong learner of cutting-edge exercise science research, said GFH Principal Geoff Habel.
“I have not seen students flock to a personality like this before,” Habel said of Tchida. “He stands at or near the top among the higher achieving classes and teachers. His nature is to lift people up in their confidence, their self-image and their actual gains.
Tchida is the head Bison football coach. He also teaches health classes, physical education, women’s weights and advanced weights. He has twice been named an Excellence in Education Distinguished Educator, and he received the GFH AA Sportsmanship Award during last year’s football season.
“I strive to be a leader, a mentor – someone who inspires students to become the best version of themselves in the classroom, on the football field, in the weight room and in their personal lives,” Tchida said.
Faulk, a sixth-grade teacher, has been an elementary educator in Great Falls for 25 years. Riverview Principal Nicole Heintzelman describes him as a phenomenal teacher who goes beyond textbooks for lessons. “He works to create a high level of engagement and accountability for learning,” she said of him.
A 25-year veteran elementary school teacher, Faulk previously was named the Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year in 2005 and has received many Golden Apple and Blue Ribbon school awards. Beyond the classroom, he has served on the math, social studies, ELA adoption committees and his school’s leadership team. He spent 20 years as a softball and baseball coach. He also coached Heisey basketball and Boys and Girls Club football.
“This year’s Teachers of the Year point to the excellence of our educators both in and out of the classroom,” said GFPS Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Becker. “We salute their achievements, and we are grateful for BNSF Railway’s continued support of Great Falls teachers.”
For more information on Excellence in Education, and to see a list of students and teachers honored this year, click HERE.