Thirty-two first-year educators from Kansas are being recognized for their outstanding teaching skills through the 2019 Kansas Horizon Award program.

The 2019 Kansas Horizon Award recipients were announced Jan. 8 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. 15 in Topeka.

The Kansas Horizon Award program, 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 2019 Kansas Horizon Award were notified of their selection by Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson.

“These 32 educators are shining examples of the great talent we have in Kansas,” Watson said. “I want to thank them for their time and dedication to the teaching profession. They are not only teaching Kansas students, they are instilling a love of learning, inspiring and igniting passions. We are fortunate to have such quality teachers in classrooms across Kansas. It is because of them that we move closer to our vision of leading the world in the success of each student.”

2019 Kansas Horizon Award Recipients

Region 1

• Holly Abel, Riverside Elementary School, Emporia USD 253
• Abigail Baeten, Lincoln Elementary School, Clay County USD 379
• Abigail Buser, Westwood Elementary School, Geary County USD 475
• Meredith Clark, Beloit Junior/Senior High School, Beloit USD 273
• Kristy Fischer, Ellinwood Middle/High School, Ellinwood USD 355
• Kaleigh Huxman, McPherson Middle School, McPherson USD 418
• Jill Siebert, Hillsboro Elementary School, Hillsboro-Lehigh-Durham USD 410
• Alicia Torr, Moundridge Middle/High School, Moundridge USD 423

Region 2

• Olivia Basye, Berryton Elementary School, Shawnee Heights USD 450
• Chari Bauman, Yates Center Elementary School, Woodson USD 366
• Julie Burk, Eudora Elementary School, Eudora USD 491
• Riley Propps, Shawnee Heights High School, Shawnee Heights USD 450
• Logan Pegram, Anderson County Junior/Senior High School, Garnett-Greeley-Westphalia USD 365
• Macy Pickman, Atchison High School, Atchison USD 409
• Garret Platt, Seaman Middle School, Seaman USD 345
• Hannah Taylor, Scott Dual Language Magnet School, Topeka USD 501

Region 3

• Bailey Bacon, J.C. Harmon High School, Kansas City USD 500
• Kadra Boulware, Rockville Elementary School, Louisburg USD 416
• Katey Foley, Gardner Edgerton High School, Gardner Edgerton USD 231
• Sarah Lenz, Wolf Creek Elementary School, Spring Hill USD 230
• Haley Poulter, Mize Elementary School, De Soto USD 232
• Clayton Prater, Bonner Springs Elementary School, Bonner Springs/Edwardsville USD 204
• Leanna Willer, Louisburg High School, Louisburg USD 416
• Danielle Winkler, Spring Hill Middle School, Spring Hill USD 230

Region 4

• Macey Dinkel, Stafford Elementary School, Stafford USD 349
• Rachel Eck, Goddard High School, Goddard USD 265
• Amy Hiebert, Halstead Middle School, Halstead/Bentley USD 440
• Joseph Hubener, Clearwater High School, Clearwater USD 264
• Chandler Ochoa, Newton High School, Newton USD 373
• Michelle Ramirez, Nelson Elementary School, Haysville USD 261
• Payton Scheer, Challenger Intermediate School, Goddard USD 265
• Paige Towey, St. Mark’s School, Renwick USD 267

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.