USD 457 Teachers Recognized At the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year

GARDEN CITY, Kan (WesternKansasNews.Com) – There were two USD 457 teachers that were recognized on Saturday, March 26^th, at the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year award ceremony that was held virtually this year. Sarah Shrimplin, science teacher at Edith Scheuerman Elementary School, and Jane Schneider, physical education teacher at Garden City High School, were both nominated for the award, which recognizes excellent teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms across the state.

This year, 109 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.

Carly Torres, a fifth-grade teacher at Wiley Elementary School, Hutchinson Unified School District 308, and Erica Huggard, a biology, anatomy and physiology teacher at Emporia High School, Emporia USD 253, were named Region 1 finalists for the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year award during a virtual ceremony Saturday, March 26. They are each now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during a ceremony Saturday, Sept. 24, in Wichita.

Each panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.

The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, comprised of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.

The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.

USD 457

There were two USD 457 teachers that were recognized on Saturday, September 14^th, at the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year award ceremony in Salina, Kansas. Violet Dubois, band director for Horace Good Middle School and Kenneth Henderson Middle School, and Sarah Harris, who was a third grade teacher at Victor Ornelas Elementary School when nominated and is currently a Teacher on Special Assignment at Georgia Matthews Elementary School, were both nominated for the award, which recognizes excellent teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms across the state.

Nominations are made in each of four regions in the state. Region 1 covers the first U.S. congressional district in Kansas. The Kansas State Department of Education, sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels comprised of teachers, education administrators, and higher education representatives to select semi-finalists and finalists from each region. Stefanie M. Lane, a fourth-grade mathematics and English language arts teacher at Garfield Elementary School (Clay County Unified School District 379), and Shawn Hornung, a social studies teacher at Wamego High School (Wamego USD 320), were named Region 1 finalists for the 2020 Kansas Teacher of the Year award during the ceremony. This year, 131 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.

The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.