EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – The Excelsior Springs Substance Abuse Free Environments, or SAFE, Coalition awarded Michelle Huettenmueller the Community Champion Award for April. Huettenmueller is a fifth-grade teacher at Westview Elementary School. She received the recognition for her dedication to fostering opportunities that allowed her students to participate in community service projects. A project to fundraise for wildlife conservation is one example of Huettenmueller’s commitment to teaching her students about service. When one of her students expressed an interest in raising awareness about cheetah conservation, Huettenmueller encouraged the student to make a presentation to the class. Following the presentation, the teacher organized the class to work together to collect donations for the cause. The students raised $60 to donate to the “adopt a cheetah” project through the World Wildlife Fund. “The extra effort Michelle extended to provide her students the opportunity to learn how…