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TOPEKA – Thirty-two first-year educators from Kansas are being recognized for their outstanding teaching skills through the 2018 Kansas Horizon Award program.
The award recipients were announced Jan. 9 by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
The first-year educators will be honored at a special ceremony during the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) State Education Conference on Feb. 16 in Topeka.
The Kansas Horizon Award program, which is sponsored by KSDE, allows all school districts in the state an opportunity to nominate one elementary and one secondary teacher for the award.
To be eligible for the award, teachers must have successfully completed their first year of teaching and have performed in such a way as to distinguish themselves as outstanding.
The program is a regional competition with four regions corresponding to the state’s U.S. Congressional districts. Four elementary and four secondary classroom teachers may be selected for the award from each region.
Recipients of the 2018 Kansas Horizon Award were notified of their selection by Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson.
“I want to congratulate these outstanding teachers,” Watson said. “Each recipient has demonstrated their dedication to the teaching profession, and I want to thank them for their time and talent. With the help of great teachers like these, we are one step closer to meeting the vision for education in the state, which is Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. Kansas is lucky to have such quality teachers in its classrooms.”
2018 Kansas Horizon Award Recipients Region 1 Katie Crowsey, Lyons Middle School, Lyons USD 405 Tanner Dahlke, Riley Elementary School, Great Bend USD 428 Taylor Gros, Bluemont Elementary School, Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Arika Haresnape, Clifton-Clyde High School, Clifton-Clyde USD 224 Mandy Malone, Hutchinson Middle School, Hutchinson USD 308 Kelly Oberheu, Emporia High School, Emporia USD 253 Jessica Steele, Cottonwood Elementary School, Salina USD 305 Courtney Unruh, Hutchinson Magnet School, Hutchinson USD 308
Region 2 Lindy Broeckelman, Logan Elementary School, Seaman USD 345 Brandon Daley, Woodlawn Elementary School, Lawrence USD 497 April Gee, Valley Heights Junior Senior High School, Valley Heights USD 498 Avery Ozier, Pauline Central Primary School, Auburn-Washburn USD 437 Samuel Parrilla, Burlington Middle/High School, Burlington USD 244 Derek Smith, Southern Coffey County High School, Southern Coffey County USD 245 Ashley Snow, Lakeside Elementary School, Pittsburg USD 250 Berenice Weisel, Southwest Middle School, Lawrence USD 497
Region 3 Sarah Broddle, Monticello Trails Middle School, De Soto USD 232 Paige Fickbohm, Oak Grove Elementary School, Turner USD 202 Christopher Hagedorn, Spring Hill High School, Spring Hill USD 230 Melissa Kinzer, Chisholm Trail Middle School, Olathe USD 233 Alexandria Mackenzie, Apache Innovative School, Shawnee Mission USD 512 Katie Omo, Prairie Ridge Elementary School, De Soto USD 232 Michael Richards, Oxford Middle School, Blue Valley USD 229 Michaela Shandy, Blue River Elementary School, Blue Valley USD 229
Region 4 Connor Christensen, Apollo Elementary School, Goddard USD 265 Hilary Cosgrove, Freeman Elementary School, Haysville USD 261 Hannah Martin, Maize South Middle School, Maize USD 266 Constance Neale, Slate Creek Elementary School, Newton USD 373 Carlyn Olson, Winfield High School, Winfield USD 465 Colleen Tajchman, Derby Hills Elementary School, Derby USD 260 Rachel Villareale, Rose Hill Middle School, Rose Hill USD 394 Jessica Williams, Stafford Middle/High School, Stafford USD 349
As recipients of the Kansas Horizon Award, these educators are invited to KEEN, a network of educators from around the state who have been formally recognized for exemplary performance. Members of KEEN have an opportunity to network with other outstanding educators and participate in several professional development programs throughout the year.
Questions about this page contact:
Ann Bush (785) 296-7921 abush@ksde.org
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at ogc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.