VFW Post 1337 honors Hersey teacher

Posted December 02, 2019 10:00 pm

Submitted by Dutch DeGroot, Service Officer VFW Post 1337

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, at John Hersey High School, Veterans of Foreign Wars Prospect Post 1337 Commander Les Durov presented to James D. Miks a certificate that honored him for being the High School Teacher of the Year for Post 1337.

Miks is an English teacher at the Arlington Heights high school.

This is the first step of many to reaching the most prestigious honor as VFW National High School Teacher of the Year. From local Post 1337, Miks will move on in competition to the VFW 4th District Department of Illinois.

There, he is competing against award winners from 15 other posts in the 4th District. The next step is competing against the 17 VFW Illinois District winners. To reach National, he would be competing against the winners in each of the 50 states.

Miks, the son of a Vietnam veteran, has been instrumental in numerous projects and events that have touched perhaps thousands of lives.

His latest venture is working with the "Tiny Homes" Project, building a "tiny home" community.

As part of the Nine Line Foundation, this veterans village provides shelter to homeless veterans in their transition back into society. Miks gets support from his students in almost every endeavor he undertakes, making volunteerism a true learning experience.

VFW Post 1337 Commander Les Durov presents a Certificate of Merit to educator Jim Miks in the presence of thousands of students, faculty, and supporters at John Hersey High School. Miks was named VFW Post 1337's High School Teacher of the Year. Courtesy of John Novak

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