A Bonner Springs Elementary School library media specialist has been named a Region 3 finalist for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award.
Amanda Ketterling was one of six semifinalists for the award, and was named one of two Region 3 finalists on March 28.
The other finalist in Region 3 was Natalie Johnson-Berry, an English teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School.
The two finalists are now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Wichita.
As a finalist Ketterling will receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner of the Teacher of the Year program.
The Kansas State Department of Education, sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels made up of of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region. The state is divided into four regions.
Other semifinalists were Melissa Donaldson, a 3-5 early childhood, special education teacher at Stanley Elementary School, Blue Valley USD 229; Melissa Hembrey, a first-grade teacher at Riverview Elementary School, De Soto USD 232; Jessica Skoglund, an English teacher at Olathe Northwest High School, Olathe USD 233; and Jennifer Thomas, a science teacher at Turner High School, Turner School District 202.
Each of the semifinalists will receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.
This year, 138 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.
Each regional panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.
The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession, according to KSDE.
The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, made up of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.
The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.
The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.