By SALINA POST
Smoky Valley High School art teacher Gretchen Elliott was one of two Region 1 finalists for the 2024 Kansas Teacher of the Year award program announced during a ceremony Saturday in Salina.
The other finalist was Erin Pittenger, an elementary teacher at St. George Elementary School in St. George.
The award recognizes excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state, according to information released this afternoon by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
The Kansas Teacher of the Year Region 1 Awards Banquet took place in Tony’s Pizza Event Center, 800 The Midway, in Salina.
As finalists for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction, Elliott and Pittenger each will receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program. In addition, they are each now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during a ceremony Sept. 23 in Wichita.
Pittenger and Elliott were among six Teacher of the Year semifinalists from Region 1, which covers the first U.S. congressional district, KSDE noted in a news release.
Other semifinalists were:
Lindsey Graham a first-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Clay Center
Chantay Hill, a third-grade teacher at Heusner Elementary School in Salina
Kelly Estes, a special education teacher at Wamego High School
KD Stover, an agriculture teacher at Ellsworth High School
According to KSDE, each of the semifinalists will receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.
This year, 124 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.
About the Kansas Teacher of the Year Award from KSDE
Nominations are made in each of four regions in the state. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels comprised of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region.
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.
The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.