PORT ANGELES — KONP’s Todd Ortloff and Doniell Wyant of Umpqua Bank in Port Angeles surprised Port Angeles High School counselor Mike Nolan during a recent staff meeting with the announcement he had been chosen as Educator of the Month for December in the KONP Radio-Umpqua Bank recognition program.

Each recipient is awarded a gift card.

KONP features the awardee’s nomination and award in announcements throughout the month on 1450 AM.

“Over his long career, Mike Nolan has been a tireless advocate for student success and has worked to improve delivery of school counseling services at Port Angeles High School,” Ortloff said.

During his service as leader of the counseling department, Nolan led the development of expanded services to include annual college fairs and semi-annual career fairs.

“He pushed for training and coordination to create a regional crisis response team to be available to provide counseling support to any school in the area that experiences a tragic event,” Ortloff said.

The Educator of the Month program is organized with the help of local students, staff and community members.

Nominations for featured teachers in the Port Angeles, Sequim and Crescent school districts, plus Queen of Angels and Olympic Christian schools, are solicited, then announced monthly throughout the school year.