By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

He says it's nice to be back in familiar territory.

But, Jerry Braun admits, it's also a good feeling to know his former colleagues appreciated his work.

Braun, back teaching math in Hays USD 489 after a two-year hiatus from the district, last week was honored by the Kansas North Central Accreditation as one of the recipients of the 2008 M. Claradine Johnson Excellence in Education Award.

The award is given annually by the KNCA to nominees who portray qualities for which it is named -- excellence in education.

Braun was nominated by a teacher and an administrator at Sublette for his work in that area the past two years as a consultant for the Southwest Plains Regional Service Center in Sublette.

He was one of just two people who received the award at the KNCA fall conference in Wichita. The other state winner this year was Trudy Anne Salsberry, a professor of educational leadership at Kansas State University.

Braun -- who taught math for 10 years at Felten Middle School, then had a two-year stint with the service center before returning to the Hays school district this year -- said he was caught off guard by the honor.

"I have been a teacher representative for the state council, was on that board before," Braun said of the KNCA. "And we would get bunches and bunches of nominations for that award. So I was surprised."

Connie Myers, principal at Sublette Elementary School, and Risa Leonard Stevens, at-risk coordinator/district curriculum director for Sublette USD 374, were the ones who nominated Braun for the award.

"He's just a great guy in helping teachers implement strategies that are going to impact your students," Stevens said. "That's basically what he strives for -- what are the best strategies you can use in the classroom to impact student learning."

Stevens was a first-grade teacher when she met Braun, who was working with schools to plan intervention strategies and professional development for teachers and help with general overall school improvement.

Braun, formerly a seventh-grade math teacher at Felten, returned there this year. He teaches seventh- and eighth-grade math classes at Felten in the afternoons and serves as at math coach for schools in the Hays district in the mornings.

"This is perfect for me," he said. "I'm able to do both (jobs) I did before, teacher and consultant, but just don't have to drive so far."

Stevens said they would miss Braun in the southwest Kansas area now that he's working full time in Hays again.

But, she added, the classroom is the right place for him.

"The very, very, very best thing about Jerry is that he just loves kids, and you can't ask for a better teacher than that," she said. "He has a real way with all people, but especially with kids. It's important to him that all kids are learning."