Longtime teacher Diana Virdell receives Excellence in Education Award
Diana Virdell, a lifelong educator, was given the 2022 Excellence in Education Award by the Marble Falls Education Foundation during halftime of the Mustangs football game against Burnet on Oct. 14. Courtesy photo
Celebrating decades of teaching, the Marble Falls Education Foundation honored Diana Virdell with the 2022 Excellence in Education Award. It was presented on Oct. 14 during halftime of the Marble Falls-Burnet football game.
“I’m really humbled by the award,” Virdell said. “I do the things I do, not for the recognition, but because I get a lot of personal satisfaction from it. I was very appreciative of the award.”
Established in 2017, the award recognizes members of the Marble Falls Independent School District family who exhibit an unyielding commitment to the betterment of the district. Last year’s award went to longtime administrator Bill Rives.
Virdell has worked in education for 40 years, spending 16 years with Marble Falls ISD. Throughout her career, she has been a math teacher and girls’ coach for volleyball, basketball, and track. She also spent 27 years as a school counselor.
“You don’t become a teacher for the money or the summers off,” Virdell said. “You become an educator because you really like making a difference in children’s lives.”
Public education is a family business. Virdell’s late husband, Mickey, began his career as a coach and science teacher before becoming a school superintendent. Her two sons, Kevin and Keith, are both active in public schools. Keith is a coach and administrator at Skidmore-Tynan ISD, while Kevin serves on the MFISD Board of Trustees. Her daughters-in-law are also involved in education. Kevin’s wife, Jennifer, is an ARD facilitator and diagnostician for MFISD, while Keith’s wife, TyAnna, is an elementary physical education teacher and seventh-grade volleyball coach.
“I’m very proud of my family who have gone into education,” Virdell said. “It is a calling to be an educator.”
After retiring in 2003 and again in 2015, Virdell continues to work to improve local educational resources. She currently serves the community through her work as vice president of programs for the Marble Falls Education Foundation board and secretary of the Friends of the Marble Falls Public Library. She is also on the grant and scholarship committee and is a volunteer at Marble Falls Elementary School in the Alpha Chi Cares Program.