Chris Bolhuis, ninth grade earth science teacher at Hudsonville Freshman Campus in Hudsonville, Mich., has been named winner of the 2013 AAPG Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award (Earth Science Teacher of the Year).

Bolhuis, a 16-year teaching veteran at Hudsonville, also teaches an elective geology course for juniors and seniors at the school.

The award, funded and presented annually by the AAPG Foundation, is intended to honor and encourage excellence in geoscience education. It includes a $6,000 prize that will be split into two parts: half will be designated for Bolhuis’ personal use, and half goes to Hudsonville Freshman Campus for educational use under Bolhuis’ supervision.

Bolhuis also will receive an all-expense paid trip to the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Pittsburgh, Pa., May 19-22, where he will be presented with his award at the All-Convention Luncheon.

Bolhuis, a graduate of Grand Valley State University, was nominated by AAPG’s Eastern Section, one of six AAPG Sections participating in the national award program. He was then chosen for the “Teacher of the Year” (TOTY) award by a panel of national judges.

The AAPG Foundation was established in 1967 with the primary goal of providing a source of funding for educational, charitable and scientific objectives, which directly and indirectly benefit the geologic profession and the general public. The Teacher of the Year Award began in 1996.