FORTVILLE – The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation recently announced this year’s building winners of Teacher of the Year (TOY) and Staff of the Year (SOY).
This year’s building TOY winners were Kelsey Rusk, Fortville Elementary School; Abby Kern, McCordsville Elementary School; Liz Jenkins, Mt. Comfort Elementary School; Laura Hannah, Mt. Vernon High School; Michelle Dunahee, Mt. Vernon Middle School; and Krista Weber, administration building.
SOY winners included Beth Thomas, Fortville Elementary School; Trudy Cole, McCordsville Elementary School; Tonya Brown, Mt. Comfort Elementary School; Kelly Fleming, Mt. Vernon High School; Cathy Womack, Mt. Vernon Middle School; and Tori Wisker, administration building.
The awards are sponsored by the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation.
The selection process begins with the staff in each building nominating their colleagues. The top three teachers and staff members with the highest number of nominations were then rated by their peers on these values: dedication, team player, caring, student-centered, lifelong learner, and innovative. The building winners received the highest scores.
Next, the building winners will submit an application to the MVEF TOY/SOY committee which will select a district-wide TOY and SOY. The committee will use the Indiana Department of Education’s TOY scoring rubric to evaluate each building winner and determine the overall MVCSC District TOY and SOY winners.
Both district winners will receive a $2,500 stipend through the Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award, thanks to the generosity of MVEF donors, Jill and Kevin Prefontaine. Additionally, each building winner will receive a $500 award.
In 2018, Jill and Kevin Prefontaine established the Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award to recognize MVCSC district TOY and SOY. Jill wanted to create this honor to “combine the love that she has for her brother and great teachers.” The cash award was created in honor of Jill’s brother Ryan. Both Ryan and Jill were MV graduates and Jill’s father, Kenneth, was a math teacher at Mt. Vernon for over 30 years.
This award aligns itself and supports the MVEF Strategic Plan in “encouraging and recognizing excellence and ingenuity among our educators and staff.”
The Mt. Vernon Education Foundation (MVEF) will announce the district TOY and SOY awards at the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation’s Black and Gold Gala in April.
“Together We Are Illuminating Futures” is the theme of the event set for 5:30-11:30 p.m. April 6 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. The community is invited to attend the event. For more, visit mtvernonfoundation.org/events/kaleidoscope-gala.
