USD 253 Emporia Public Schools has announced its nominees for the 2024 Kansas Master Teacher and the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year.
The district unveiled the nominees during a pair of early morning meetings Monday and Tuesday at Emporia High School and Timmerman Elementary. The district’s 2025 Secondary KTOY nominee is Susan Livingston a current social studies teacher at EHS.
The district’s 2025 elementary teacher of the year nominee, announced Tuesday morning, is Timmerman 4th grade teacher Connie Coleman. Coleman, a 30-year recently spoke with KVOE News regarding her nomination and says education is a tough field, but this nomination provides her with great validation that her efforts in the classroom are paying off.
Emporia High School math teacher Lana Knuth was named as the district’s 2024 Kansas Master Teacher nominee. Knuth has been with USD 253 for the entirety of her 23-year career and says she always enters the classroom with the intention of building relationships with her students in addition to conveying the curriculum.
The Kansas Teacher of the Year award recognizes educators who represent excellence in the classroom. The Kansas Master Teacher awards, established in 1954 by Emporia State University, are presented each year to educators who “demonstrate the attributes of exemplary professional educators.”
KVOE is awaiting a response for a request for an interview with Livingston.
