BELLEVILLE, Ill. – A Belleville teacher has won $500 for the positive influence he’s had on his students.

Reggie Duncan teaches fifth-grade at Wingate Elementary School in Mascoutah School District 19. Kari Jarlsberg, the mother of one of his former students, nominated Duncan for KPLR’s Tools For Teachers award of $500 from Weber Chevrolet after she noticed Duncan’s efforts to stay in touch with students long after they left the fifth-grade. She also said she appreciated the positive reinforcement sayings he taught in the classroom.

“He is an outstanding educator, mentor, and all-around wonderful person!” Jarslberg wrote in her Tools For Teachers nomination. “He’s not only an incredible gift to our school, but the lives he is touching and changing for the better is truly making a difference to our world!”