Editor's note: This news was originally released by the Utah Education Association. It has been re-released by Arch Coal, Inc. with permission from the UEA.

SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH, Oct. 18, 2012 -- The Utah Education Association (UEA) honored 10 teachers from around the state with its Excellence in Teaching awards and presented Arch Coal with an Honor Roll Award at its Superstars in Education banquet Thursday evening.

The UEA presented the Honor Roll Award to Arch Coal for its demonstrated commitment to Utah schools and teachers. Arch Coal and its foundation sponsor the Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards program and the UEA Excellence in Teaching Awards, as well as supporting several programs for Utah's schools and youth, said UEA Executive Director Mark Mickelsen.

"Arch Coal, through the Arch Coal Foundation, is now in its seventh year of honoring Utah teachers with Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards," Mickelsen said. "Five teachers each year in Carbon, Emery, Sanpete and Sevier counties have been given $3,500 personal cash awards.

"Arch Coal has demonstrated its commitment to public education and to Utah teachers through its ongoing efforts and truly exemplifies the statement that education excellence is everyone's responsibility," Mickelsen added.

Arch Coal President and CEO John Eaves praised the state's teachers.

"Arch Coal knows teachers are one of our communities' most valuable resources, and that's why the Arch Coal Foundation is proud to sponsor statewide and local programs that recognize great educators," Eaves said.

Excellence in Teaching Award recipients were nominated by their peers and chosen based on their work with individual students or groups of students. Each winner received an award and a check for $1,500, courtesy of the Arch Coal Foundation.

The Excellence in Teaching Award recipients for 2012 are:

• Melissa Atwood, math teacher at Woods Cross High School, Davis School District;
• Beckey Carson, special education teacher at Granger High School, Granite School District;
• William "Schipper" Clawson, self-contained elementary teacher at Oak Springs School, Provo City School District;
• Robyn Esplin, third-grade teacher at Garland Elementary School, Box Elder School District;
• Daniel Harnsberger, history and language arts teacher at Horizonte School, Salt Lake City School District;
• Donna Hunter, English teacher at Herriman High School, Jordan School District;
• Andrea Jill Krogue, kindergarten teacher at Columbia Elementary, Jordan School District;
• Kristin Snow, sixth-grade science teacher at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School, Washington County School District;
• LuAnn Sorensen, special education preschool teacher at Ferron Elementary School, Emery County School District; and
• Anna Martinez Williams, English as a second language teacher and instructional coach at Park City High School, Park City School District.

State Sen. Aaron Osmond also received an Honor Roll Award, and a Charles E. Bennett Human and Civil Rights Award was presented to Dr. Forrest Crawford, Weber State University's assistant to the president for diversity.

The UEA has sponsored the Excellence in Teaching Awards since 2000. This is the Arch Coal Foundation's second year as title sponsor for the awards. KeyBank sponsored the banquet.

About the Utah Education Association
For more than a century, the Utah Education Association has been dedicated to preserving and enhancing Utah public education. The UEA is the largest public education employee association in Utah, representing more than 18,000 active classroom teachers, retired educators, administrators, licensed educational support personnel and campus student organizations. The UEA has local affiliates in each of the state's 41 school districts, Applied Technology Colleges, and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

About Arch Coal
U.S.-based Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) is a top five global coal producer and marketer, with active mining complexes across every major U.S. coal supply basin. Its core business is supplying cleaner-burning, low-sulfur thermal and metallurgical coal to power generators and steel manufacturers on five continents. In 2011, Arch continued to lead the U.S. coal industry in safety performance and environmental compliance among large, diversified producers.