Monticello Live

Four teachers from around the state were named finalists for the 2012 Teacher of the Year Award, by the state Department of Education, including a Monticello High School teacher.

State finalists Matthew Garrett of Rogers, Kara Jones of Conway, Shelina Mashail Warren of Pine Bluff and Kimberly Kaye Wilson of Monticello were chosen from among regional finalists throughout Arkansas representing each education service cooperative and Pulaski County. A panel from the Education Department will recommend its choice for Teacher of the Year to state Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell.

The winner will be announced in November. “Research shows the most important school-related factor affecting student performance is the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders,” Kimbrell said Thursday in a news release. “Arkansas is fortunate to have thousands of extraordinary educators serving students across our state. These four teachers are among the best. Their value to our students and our state is immeasurable. We are pleased to honor their work and dedication through this recognition.”

Wilson is a high school visual art teacher at Monticello with 16 years experience. She has a bachelor’s degrees from Winthrop University in South Carolina and Trinity College in Vermont and master’s degrees from Kent State University in Ohio and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Kim Wilson responded by saying, “It was a real surprise when I was notified by the Arkansas Department of Education that I had been selected as a Regionalist Winner for Arkansas Teacher of the Year. As an Art educator, I relentlessly try to serve every child and enthusiastically partner with community, other teachers and parents to increase the value and importance of the arts in the public school curriculum. As an arts advocate, I seize any opportunity to share my ideas on education with policy makers and administration. Being able to share those ideas as a finalist for Teacher of the Year on a state level is thrilling. I am proud to represent Monticello School District and hope that my actions make the district proud of their decision in me. And finally, I hope to serve as a champion for all “support staff” teachers who make miraculous learning moments happen every day and have yet to be recognized for them.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 6th, 2011 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Monticello School News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.