Representing nearly 160 years of classroom experience, members of the 2018 class of Kansas Master Teachers were announced today. The seven teachers chosen for this annual award are:
- Connstance Allmond, high incident/intellectual disability teacher at El Dorado Middle School in El Dorado;
- Deanna K. Burton, social studies teacher at Susan B. Anthony Middle School in Manhattan;
- Abby Cornelius, library media specialist at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park;
- Todd Flory, fourth-grade teacher at Wheatland Elementary School in Andover;
- Chitra Harris, science teacher for Wichita High School South;
- Matthew Irby, science teacher at Emporia High School; and
- Kimberly S. Schneweis, visual art teacher at Hays Middle School.
Complete bios for all teachers are available at www.emporia.edu/teach/master/2018/index.html.
Through the support of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, each Master Teacher will be presented with a check for $1,000.
The recipients were selected by a nine-member committee including representatives from the Kansas Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals, Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals, Kansas National Education Association, Kansas State Board of Education, ESU’s Interdisciplinary Secondary Education Alliance, and the 2017 Kansas Master Teacher class.
The 2018 Master Teachers will be honored on Master Teacher Day to be held Wednesday, April 4 at Emporia State University. On that day, as part of several recognition activities, the teachers will present a seminar at 2:30 p.m. in the W.S. and E.C. Jones Conference Center in Visser Hall. The teachers will then be honored during a social hour at 5:45 p.m. in Webb Hall Lobby of Emporia State’s Memorial Union followed by the banquet and award ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Webb Hall.
Tickets for the dinner cost $17, and reservations are required by Wednesday, March 28. For more information, see www.emporia.edu/teach/master/reservationform.html.
Emporia State established the Kansas Master Teacher awards in 1954. The awards are presented annually to teachers who have served the profession long and well, who also typify the outstanding qualities of earnest and conscientious teachers. A list of Kansas Master Teachers dating back to its beginning is available at www.emporia.edu/teach/master/past.html.
Since 1980, Bank of America has pledged more than $100,000 to permanently endow the Kansas Master Teacher awards. In 1984, the Black family of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, established an endowed chair for Kansas Master Teachers. The fund provides a stipend to bring two Master Teachers to Emporia State for one week. During this time, the teachers present to classes of education students.