Dawn Rottinghaus, secondary business educator at Wellsville High School, received the Secondary Business Teacher of the Year Award at the annual Mountain-Plains Business Education Association Conference on June 18-20 in Rapid City, S.D.

The award is presented annually to a secondary business teacher who has made significant contributions to the field of business education by implementing creative and innovative ideas in the classroom.

The association represents business educators from the nine-state region of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

Rottinghaus, an Emporia State University graduate, has been a business educator for 18 years, 15 of which at Wellsville High.

As a regional award winner, she qualifies to compete for a national-level award, which will be presented at the 2010 National Business Education Association Convention scheduled for March in San Diego.