March 28, 2024

USD 457 Teachers To Be Recognized at the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year

USD 457

Two USD 457 teachers will be recognized on Saturday, March 27th, at the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year award ceremony that will be held virtually this year.  Sarah Drubinskiy, special education teacher at Charles O. Stones Intermediate Center, and Sarah Wise, seventh grade Language Arts teacher at Kenneth Henderson Middle School, were both nominated for the award, which recognizes excellent teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms across the state.

The 2022 Kansas Teacher of the Year Regional Award Events will take place virtually from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. The ceremony can be watched live online at https://youtu.be/1_2pEsQMeLQ.

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.

According to the Kansas Department of Education, 138 educators from across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction this year.

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 2022 Kansas Teacher of the Year State Awards Banquet will be Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, at the Wichita Marriott Hotel.

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.