Special to the HT
MEEKER | The Meeker High School Class of 2025 has selected longtime educator Iris Franklin as the recipient of the 2025 Cowboy Up Award, an honor recognizing individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to or support of Meeker High School.
The Cowboy Up Award was established by the Class of 2020, whose senior year was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. That class also holds the distinction of being the last to graduate from the former Meeker High School building, prior to completion of the current facility. In response to the sacrifices they experienced, the Class of 2020 created a lasting tradition to recognize others who have given selflessly to the school and its students.
Each year, the senior class votes to induct one honoree. The founding Class of 2020 inducted three recipients — Dale Frisby, Bobby Gutierrez and Dale Dunbar. Subsequent honorees include Ed Coryell (Class of 2021), Debbie Cook (2022), Kay Bivens (2023) and JC Watt (2024).
Franklin’s connection to Meeker schools spans more than five decades. She began her career in 1972 as a substitute teacher, serving in that role for 14 years before joining Meeker High School full time in 1986 as a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher. For the next 20 years, Franklin taught courses including survival skills, financial literacy, teen life skills, foods, sewing and family living — classes remembered by generations of students for their practical, real-world lessons.
As the school’s FACS — formerly home economics — teacher, Franklin also led a highly successful Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter. Her students regularly placed at national competitions, and she served as Colorado FCCLA state president and a board member of the Colorado Association of FCCLA. In 1990, the Meeker FCCLA program was recognized as an exemplary program, with Franklin’s Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum ranked among the top 10 in the nation. Former students nominated her multiple times for “Who’s Who Among American Teachers.”
Franklin’s impact continued after her retirement from the classroom. She served as the Meeker Community Education Coordinator for Colorado Northwestern Community College, organizing local classes and coordinating concurrent enrollment opportunities for Meeker High School students. In that role, she helped hundreds of students earn college credits while still in high school. She remained with CNCC until 2020.
Her service also includes time on the Meeker School District Board of Education from 2009 to 2013, including a term as board president. During that period, the district passed a bond and constructed a new elementary school. Franklin later volunteered on the design committee for the new Meeker High School building.
Beyond her professional roles, Franklin has been a member of P.E.O., an international organization supporting women’s education, since 1967. She is the mother of two children and grandmother of five, all of whom have attended or currently attend Meeker schools.
District leaders noted that Meeker’s commitment to “Excellence in All We Do” is built on the foundation laid by educators like Franklin.
The Class of 2025 will formally honor Iris Franklin as the 2025 Cowboy Up Award recipient, recognizing a lifetime of service to Meeker High School and the community it serves.
The 2025 recipient of the Cowboy Up award at Meeker High School is Iris Franklin (third from left), pictured here with family (left to right) Ann Franklin, Bailey Franklin, Iris Franklin, Ben Franklin, Blaine Franklin and Heather Franklin. Iris was selected for the honor by the graduating class of 2025 and is the eighth individual to receive the award. BOBBY G’S MEMORIES PHOTO