USD 379

Two USD 379 teachers have earned the prestigious Teacher of the Year award through the district for the 2024-25 school year.

Leah Knitter, kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary, earned the Elementary Teacher of the Year award. Alisha Brownell, a special education teacher at Clay Center Community Middle School, earned the Secondary Teacher of the Year award.

Both will now compete for the Kansas State Department of Education Teacher of the Year award. One elementary and one secondary teacher will earn the title across the region, with one teacher being selected as the overall Kansas Teacher of the Year.

This award recognizes and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Its mission 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 program consists of local, regional and state competition. The regions correspond to the state’s four U.S. congressional districts.

The Kansas State Department of Education appoints regional selection committees responsible for reviewing the nomination forms and selecting three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers designated as semifinalists. Two regional finalists, one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher, are chosen from among these six teachers. Regional selection committees are comprised of education administrators and teachers.