USD 253 Emporia Public Schools welcomed the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year team Wednesday.
The contingent was led by the 2023 KTOY Brian Skinner, an interrelated special education teacher from USD 373 Newton, as well as the seven regional teachers of the year. The team was comprised of educators of varying levels and disciplines including art, biology and special education from the preschool to high school level.
The tour of the district began at Emporia High School with a welcome by the EHS band, breakfast, a tour of the building and an opportunity to speak with students in th Teaching as a Career Pathway class. Skinner says he enjoys these opportunities to engage with aspiring educators and adds the range of expertise the KTOY team brings allows them to have a greater impact on these students.
The tour of the district also involved stops at the Jones Early Childhood Education Center, Timmerman Elementary School and Emporia Middle School. In addition to interactions with student leadership, the KTOY team also took part in glass-blowing, metalworking and engraving opportunities and enjoyed a performance from advanced theater students.
EHS biology and anatomy teacher Erica Huggard was also a part of the team and says the district made quite the impression on the KTOY teachers saying in a news release, “The KTOY team emphasized how much they enjoyed our district.”
Along with Skinner and Huggard, the 2023 KTOY team includes Jessica Gazzano of USD 330 Spring Hill, Pamela Munoz of USD 501 Topeka, Jaimie Swindler of USD 290 Ottawa, Kendal Norberg of USD 416 Louisburg, Carly Torres of USD 308 Hutchinson and Mallory Keefe of USD 268 Cheney.
