By Quinn O’Hara

Mrs. Andrea Flegler, the Clay Center Community High school Agriculture teacher, and Mrs. Cari Pfizenmaier, a 1st grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary, have been awarded the USD 379 Teacher of the Year Award for the 2023-2024 school year.

Mrs. Pfizenmaier has taught kindergarten to 5th grade for 28 years, and began the extended day kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary. She has excelled in taking learning beyond the walls of the classroom with various projects that saw her students interact with and learn from local leaders in the community to leaders around the world, like Bill Nye The Science Guy and Aaron Floersch of Ray’s Applemarket.

Mrs. Flegler is in her 8th year of teaching agriculture and related sciences with Clay Center Community High School:

Mrs. Flegler said her inspiration to become an ag teacher came from her own ag teacher when she was a part of her local FFA, who had a lasting and profound impact on her life.