Cooper Ottum, band director at Summit High School and Pacific Crest Middle School, recently received the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Music Educator Award from the Oregon Music Education Association (OMEA) for his exemplary work with students and the community. Ottum is one of just two award recipients from across the state.
“It was an honor to be recognized by OMEA for the inaugural year of this award,” Ottum said. “Between a crazy first year at Summit helping to put on a musical and qualifying for the 6A band contest, the difficult 2020-2021 school year, and continued challenges to bring authentic musical experiences back to students this year, I have had a wild first few years of my teaching career. I am proud to be committed to teaching performing arts at Summit and Pacific Crest and am privileged to work with fantastic students and colleagues at both schools.”
Ottum has served as band director at since 2018 at Summit and according to Summit Principal Michael McDonald, right away he began to create a culture of dedication, fun, rigor and growth in the Summit band program.
“Cooper has done outstanding work at Summit throughout his brief tenure here, said Michael McDonald, principal of Summit. “He came in with big shoes to fill and has exceeded our expectations. Cooper is a sharp, witty and dedicated professional who models hard work, professionalism and a sincere love for his subject matter and his kids.”