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BP this week recognized five Kenai Peninsula teachers for their work in the classroom.

Jason Daniels of Kalifornsky Beach Elementary, Carole Demers of West Homer Elementary, Jamie Leman of Ninilchik School, and Ken Felchle and Rosemary Bird of Kenai Middle, were honored at a dinner in Soldotna on Thursday.

Teachers from the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Fairbanks school districts can be nominated for the award by parents, community members and their peers.

Daniels, who teaches fourth grade at K-Beach, believes he was recognized for his focus on student projects. He was recognized as the peninsula's Teacher of the Year.

"I love projects with kids. I think they bring out a lot of the skills you can't see with a paper and pencil," he said.

Daniels said his students have also incorporated technology into their projects.

His class has set up an online exchange with an English immersion school in Moscow.

The students used a district server to create blogs where they post about their school, their life and their community.

Their Russian peers can then read and post comments back.

"The gain a lot of technology skills on the face value of it," Daniels said of the project, "But they also gain a deeper understanding of different cultures."

Daniels said he's also incorporated digital cameras, donated to the class by the Soldotna Rotary Club, into course work.

The students had a photo exhibit recently where their work was judged.

Daniels said the kids put more energy into their work when they know that more than just their teacher will view it.

"It creates a lot of meaning in their work they do to know there's an audience that's going to view it, both on blogs and in the work we show the public," he said.

Carole Demers, a fourth-grade teacher at West Homer Elementary, has taught in the district since 1979, and in the classroom since 1994.

She was hesitant to speak too much about herself, but said if you asked her students what they liked about her, it would probably be her incorporation of science, art and writing into lessons.

Her students are involved in some hands-on and downright dirty projects sometimes.

She said they've assisted Department of Fish and Game biologists in the dissection of sharks.

They're also actively tracking the movement of the invasive green crab.

The crabs, she said, are working their way north up the Pacific Coast, and are pushing out native crabs in the process.

They haven't made it to Alaska yet she said, but her class is part of a watch group.

Students get out of the classroom plenty.

"Our whole fourth grade goes to Peterson Bay for outdoor education," she said.

In the little town of Ninilchik, longtime special educator Jamie Leman also received an award.

Leman graduated from Ninilchik in 1974, coming back as a teacher in 1980. In 1987 she became a grades seven through 12 special education teacher, though her work in and outside the classroom could fill a page.

"I was probably nominated for my longevity in special education, my community involvement, for being an advocate for special needs students, and for my work with senior students getting ready for college," she wrote in an e-mail.

Kenai Middle School had two teachers awarded by BP.

Ken Felchle teaches seventh grade world geography/ancient history as well as an outdoor education class.

"First of all it's a humbling experience and I'm very honored to be nominated for this award, however I told one individual I never went into teaching to win awards," he said.

Felchle said he thinks his use of Smartboard technology was the source of his recognition.

Last year he and two other teachers at KMS piloted a program to test out the interactive whiteboards in their classroom. The project was such a success that every classroom in his school is now set up with one.

"In my 13 years or work they have changed my teaching more than anything else," he said.

The board, he explained, lets him link his class to the Internet constantly so he can take advantage of the wealth of resources available there.

Also at KMS is Rosemary Bird, a longtime choral music teacher.

"I love what I do and that has to be a component because you affect people in the best way if you have this love for what you do and the people you share it with," she said.

The five awarded teachers all said at some point that they felt the recognition could have been bestowed upon any of their colleagues as well.

"I believe I've become the teacher I'm because of the atmosphere where I teach," Felchle said.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.