Poplar Teacher Receives Organization’s Cornerstone Award
Poplar Middle School teacher Connie Wittak was recently honored for her dedication throughout nearly 20 years with the Jobs For Montana Graduates program. The outgoing teacher was announced as Montana’s winner of the 2026 Jobs For America’s Graduates’ Cornerstone Award during the national conference in California.
Wittak explained that the Cornerstone Award is based on mentoring other teachers in the area and the state along with providing students with the positive resources to start in the workforce.
After being involved with the Jobs for Montana Graduates program in Scobey “on and off” for 17 years, Wittak started to use her talent at Poplar Middle School to establish a solid JMG program in Poplar.
“The kids are running a burrito sale for staff and students,” Wittak said of the project in Poplar. “They are becoming little entrepreneurs.”
The nine Poplar students involved sell about 60 burritos a week. They keep adding ideas including adding more gravy to the food item.
“The kids have been excellent and have done a lot of things to improve,” Wittak said.
She is thrilled that Poplar is going to have three other teachers also be involved with the JMG program starting this fall. The hope is to divide into four groups of about nine students each for projects. Wittak said each of the groups will work to compete in different business competitions at the state level.
Leadership training for JMG is scheduled for October and the state competition is set for April 2027.
She is grateful for the support provided by administration and other staff members.
Wittak is a strong believer of the program’s positive impacts.
“It builds job skills so they gain confidence to apply for jobs themselves,” Wittak said. “It prepares them to be part of the workforce and gives them life skills.”
She has been teaching since 1986. After a long career in Scobey, she is entering her third year as a family and consumer science instructor in Poplar.
She is also well known in the area as a masters’ referee in volleyball and she plans to continue in that role this fall.
“It should be pretty exciting,” Wittak said of the upcoming volleyball season. While officiating, she said she enjoys being around people, making new friends and maintaining old friendships.
