(Spirit Lake)– A group of educators at Spirit Lake High School in Spirit Lake, has received a $2,000 grant as part of Voya Financial’s 2026 Unsung Heroes awards competition.
Katlyn Ackerman, Krysta Coy, and Jamie Axlund are the only winners in the entire state of Iowa and are one of only 50 winning submissions to receive the award. They were selected from hundreds of applications Voya received from throughout the United States. They will now compete with other finalists for one of the top three prizes — an additional $5,000 for third place, $10,000 for second place or $25,000 for first place from Voya Financial.
The Voya Unsung Heroes program has awarded grants to K-12 educators in the United States to recognize and support innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and their ability to positively influence the children they teach.
Since the program’s inception in 1996, Voya has awarded over 2,710 educators more than $6.66 million nationally.
