The Shawnee Mission School District formally honored teachers from across the district for their outstanding contributions this week. These educators were nominated for Kansas Teacher of the Year award by their school communities.
Honorees were welcomed to a reception, followed by a recognition ceremony, where each honoree was presented with a certificate. Event organizers, Brandi Leggett and Mindy Messmer, read compliments about each candidate written by the individuals who had nominated them to be honored. Numerous stories were shared about teachers who went above and beyond to help their students succeed.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Fulton wished all of the honorees the best conclusion of the school year and shared his appreciation to all of the educators for their service to children in the school district.
“You deserve all of the recognition in the world,” Fulton said. “Thank you for all you do.”
The district’s Kansas Teacher of the year secondary nominee, Natalie Johnson-Berry, an English Language Arts teacher at Shawnee Mission North, and primary Melissa Molteni, a second-grade teacher at Corinth Elementary, also spoke at the event. They spoke about their experience as teachers and the honor of having been selected to represent the district in the Kansas Teacher of the Year program.
Each school community in the district was provided the opportunity to nominate a teacher to be recognized. Here are the honorees:
Hocker Grove – Kim Balsinger
Indian Hills – Rachel Basden
Indian Woods – DJ Hilding
Trailridge – Jessica Wilhelm
Westridge – Kim Lipford
Shawnee Mission East – Jennifer Davis
Shawnee Mission North – Natalie Johnson-Berry
Shawnee Mission Northwest – Tanner Ybarra
Shawnee Mission South – Andrea Dale
Shawnee Mission West – Taylor Smith
Center for Academic Achievement – Connie Gandy
ApacheIS – Nicole Bennett
Bluejacket-Flint – Katie Heier
Briarwood – Susan Cunningham
Broken Arrow – Jeffery Psota
Brookridge - Kristy Nerstheimer
Comanche – Kathleen Rush
Corinth – Melissa Molteni
Highlands – Michelle Stopperan
Lenexa Hills – Alex Helpingstine
Merriam Park – Rebecca Dallman
Mill Creek – Meredith Morris
Nieman – Michael Soto
Oak Park-Carpenter – Linda LaPietra
Overland Park – Catherine Handy
Prairie – Allison Dorau
Rhein Benninghoven – Patricia Marcus
Rising Star – Brian Quick
Roesland – Michelle Tapko
Rosehill – Kelsey Phillips
Rushton – Jenna Hanson
Santa Fe Trail – Laura Herrick
Shawanoe – Laura Stoafer
Sunflower – Liz McClain
Tomahawk – John Kashka
Trailwood – Tracy Warren
Westwood View – Angela Harris
A special recognition was also presented in memory of the late Larry Martin who taught at Belinder Elementary School.