At the end of what had seemed to be an ordinary staff meeting, Chapman principal Ty Dawkins said he had one final announcement: Teacher of the Year.

“Congratulations to Mark Rumph, the 2015 Teacher of the Year,” Dawkins said.

Lt. Col. Rumph admitted that he was surprised when he was announced as the winner, but the JROTC instructor appreciated the honor.

“Teacher of the Year is an awesome honor to have especially with all the great teachers we have in this school,” he said.

Rumph has been teaching at Chapman for six years. After he graduated from the Air Force Academy, he served as an airplane mechanic during Operation Desert Storm/Shield.

JROTC cadet freshman Chris Duncan was excited, and felt that Rumph was very deserving of the prestigious award.

“He really deserved it,” Duncan said. “I was happy for him. He makes school and ROTC fun, and he’s always there when you need him.”

So how exactly did the veteran get into the running to win Teacher of the Year?

“Teacher of the Year is determined by a vote from the faculty and staff. Those in the running for Teacher of the Year are nominated by other teachers,” said Assistant Principal Tucker Hamrick.

The only real criteria is that a nominee has to have taught at Chapman for two or more years, but for those voting, that is among the least important of the requirements.

A Teacher of the Year nominee has to display a love for his or her job and the students they teach on a daily basis. They need to build their reputation by having students leave their class satisfied enough to recommend it to other students, who repeat the cycle.

For Rumph, the process is incredibly easy.

The number of cadets in JROTC is steadily rising, and now that Rumph has Teacher of the Year under his belt, the number will likely increase even more.

“He’s like a father figure,” said JROTC cadet Nick Lyles.

Rumph now has a chance to win the District One Teacher of the Year, which will be announced at a later date.