Kelly Oram, Davis High, Davis District

KAYSVILLE — For Kelly Oram, Davis High School Advanced Placement art history and Advanced Placement economics teacher, teaching is worth making sacrifices for. In order to remain a teacher and still make a living, Oram works two other jobs — supervising the night school program and being a tour guide in Europe in the summer.

But he said being able to work with the students makes it all worthwhile.

"I love Monday mornings and I really love going to work," said Oram, who sometimes gets a little antsy come Sunday night.

Oram has been an educator at Davis High for 20 years. It also happens to be his alma mater, and school officials say both faculty and students recognize him as an outstanding teacher.

"He's very serious about kids learning, but when he mixes in his humor, they respond to it very well," said Rulon Homer, principal of Davis High. "He is very casual to a degree and very comfortable but very aggressive in terms of dissemination of knowledge and what kids need to know."

Homer said Oram sticks out as an outstanding educator in the school, taking the lead on the school's advisory program as well as helping to study and implement the small learning communities strategy that is used at Davis High.

Oram said aside from enjoying teaching teenagers, he likes seeing students learning something new and then appreciating it after the fact — seeing them make a connection with something he taught them.

"I love my work, love the students, love everything about it — I can't imagine doing anything else."