Friday, October 2, 2026 / Eugene School District 4J
A Twin Oaks teacher's flag lessons are going national
Local veterans groups named second-grade teacher Mary Riggs their teacher of the year, and the classroom presentations she helped write are expanding beyond Oregon.
Mary Riggs expected a school assembly at Twin Oaks Elementary on Wednesday. Instead, the second-grade teacher received a teacher-of-the-year award from the American Legion and Forty & Eight veterans organizations.
The groups recognized Riggs for teaching students about the American flag and honoring veterans. Riggs also helped write classroom presentations the organizations use in Oregon; KLCC reports those materials are now headed for use elsewhere in the country. The concrete detail is not the plaque. It is a set of lessons written in Eugene getting a much larger classroom.
Field notes
What changed: Local veterans organizations named Riggs their teacher of the year and said the instructional presentations she helped write will expand beyond Oregon.
Why it matters: A Eugene elementary teacher's work is moving from one classroom into a wider national education program.
Who may be affected: Twin Oaks students and families, 4J educators, local veterans and schools that later use the presentations.