Educator Spotlight: Donnie Wilkerson
Donnie Wilkerson, a 5th-grade social studies teacher at Jamestown Elementary School (Russell County), loves to make learning history immersive and fun for his students.
2024 Kentucky Elementary School Teacher of the Year Donnie Wilkerson helps students make lifelong memories
Donnie Wilkerson believes that as a teacher, his purpose is much greater than just going through the educational curriculum with students. He tells his students to, “Be kind, think freely and inquire often. If you think about it, that's all you need to know.”
Crittenden County’s Mandy Perez named 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Mandy Perez, a 6th-grade English and language arts teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, reacts in surprise as she is named the 2023 Kentucky Teacher of the Year at an in-person ceremony on Sept. 20 at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. She also was named the Kentucky Middle School Teacher of the Year.Photo by Jacob Perkins, Sept. 20, 2022 [...]
2023 Kentucky Elementary Teacher of the Year: Change the world, “one student at a time”
Kelly Gates is as homegrown as they come in Hopkins County. Born and raised in Madisonville, she has been teaching at Pride Elementary School (Hopkins County) for her entire 26-year career. Now Gates is representing her home as the 2023 Kentucky Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
Kentucky 2022 Elementary Teacher of the Year discovered passion for teaching while working at summer camp
Ashley Ritchie, a 2nd-grade teacher at Beechwood Elementary (Beechwood Independent), is dedicated to engaging her students and loves to make learning come to life with her classroom transformations.
Fayette County’s Donnie Piercey named 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year
Donnie Piercey, a 5th-grade teacher at Stonewall Elementary School (Fayette County), has been named 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and Elementary Teacher of the Year. Piercey, a 38-year-old Lexington resident, is using technology to help his school stay in touch with parents and students during remote learning.
Storytelling: Filling gaps with narrative
Storytelling is an ancient practice. From cave dwellers to Cub Scout circles, the stories spun around a fire still burn today.
London Elementary building a brand with Tippy the Tiger
London Elementary School (Laurel County) students are in for a terrific treat this year. Students in pre-K through 5th grade are being introduced to a reboot of their Positive Behavioral Intervention System mascot, Tippy the Tiger.
Teachers of the Year make the most of creativity
Melanie Callahan was named the 2020 Elementary School Teacher of the Year and Matt Kaufmann was named the 2020 High School Teacher of the Year
Remixing the traditional essay to empower students
As a freshman in college, I remember being mesmerized by a young artists and repertoire executive named Sean “Puffy” Combs from Uptown Records. While Puffy can take credit for reconstructing the remix, Obasi Shaw and A.D. Carson, two young African American scholars, can be credited with the modernizing and remixing of the traditional essay.