Heritage High School teacher and coach, Tony Hurt, does an impressive job in both the athletic and academic arena. Academically, Tony is the Heritage Social Studies Department Chairperson and has been instrumental in getting the Professional Learning Communities work started in his department. He is also on the Littleton Public Schools committee to rewrite the district curriculum in Social Studies. Athletically, Coach Hurt is the Varsity Soccer Coach for both the boys and girls teams at Heritage. Last year the National Federation of State High School Coaches Association recognized Coach Hurt as the 2006 Southwest Sectional Coach of the Year for Girls' Soccer. This award was based not only on his coaching success, but also on his academic achievements and his dedication to community service.

Tony and his wife, Shanna - who is a teacher and assistant coach at Arapahoe High School, co-authored a recently published book for Advanced Placement Human Geography. The book, published by Pearson and Prentice Hall, is a supplement for the Advanced Placement Human Geography text, written to provide enhanced preparation for the Advanced Placement Test. The Hurts were contacted by the publishing company and encouraged to apply for the opportunity to write the book. Tony has been a consultant for the College Board for the past 3 years and has been doing AP Human Geography workshops across the Western United States. He was a presenter at a conference in Las Vegas this past July, and he will be doing several one-day workshops this school year.

Tony and his wife are also dedicated to Project Education Sudan. They have coordinated Gala Events for the past two years to raise money to build schools in Sudan and to help the Lost Boys Community in Denver. Last year students from both Arapahoe and Heritage High School helped plan the Gala. This year the event will be held in March and the Hurts hope to raise even more money and to encourage even greater community participation. In addition to his own community service, Coach Hurt has his players volunteer at the Denver Rescue Mission. Tony is also the coordinator for the boys and girls All-State Games for the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Heritage salutes Tony for his dedication to our school, our students and the global community. He provides an excellent role model for our students showing that an individual can make a difference when he pursues his passion and is willing to work hard to reach his goals.