Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention announces inaugural Dan Marburger Mentors in Violence Prevention Advocacy Awards
Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention announces inaugural Dan Marburger Mentors in Violence Prevention Advocacy Awards
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – University of Northern Iowa’s Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention is honoring the legacy of Dan Marburger, the principal at Perry High School who tragically lost his life from gun violence in January 2024, with the Dan Marburger Mentors in Violence Prevention Advocacy Awards.
The award will annually recognize a team and individual whose advocacy of PATCVP’s Mentors in Violence Prevention Strategies program has had a positive impact in their community and exemplify the same unwavering passion for violence prevention as Marburger. The program trains student leaders and supportive adults to guide discussions and activities around scenarios that depict interpersonal violence and bullying, focusing on the positive role bystanders play in prevention.
“Dan was a champion of the MVP Strategies program and epitomized the values through his convictions, words and in his actions,” said Alysa Mozak, PATCVP director. “We hope to honor his tremendous legacy through the creation of this award in his name.”
The Perry High School MVP advisory team will receive the inaugural team award. With leadership from Christine Krohn, AP English teacher and at-risk coordinator, school counselor Tami Valline and special education teacher Allisa Bahney, the group has been implementing the program since 2020.
Jenny Wagner will receive the first-ever individual award. As the special education ELA teacher at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Wagner has been leading MVP since it started in 2017.
Award winners will be recognized at a private event later this spring.
“We want to congratulate these tremendous champions for their work in creating safe school climates for their students,” said Mozak.
The Patricia A. Tomson Center for Violence Prevention is the lead training center for MVP in the Midwest and has supported over 70 secondary schools and 25 colleges and universities in Iowa in this primary prevention program since 2012. The center was established at the University of Northern Iowa in 2011 as a culmination of approximately 10 years of work in violence prevention and funding received from the Department of Justice. It has helped shape the landscape of violence prevention at the state and national level by educating and empowering young people and professionals to prevent bullying, interpersonal violence and other harmful behaviors.
