Lawton school district to honor faculty, staff

Lawton Public Schools will honor its district Elementary Teacher of the Year, Secondary Teacher of the Year, First Class Teacher of the Year and Educational Support Person of the Year at “Unleashing Greatness,” the district’s annual “Celebration!” honoring the top faculty and staff who were selected by their peers.

“We’re excited because with our (“Celebration!”), we’re trying something different. … We’re going to announce the district Teacher of the Year on Dec. 15 at 1 o’clock at the Eisenhower Middle School Auditorium,” LPS Superintendent Kevin Hime said. “That’s exciting. This is the first time we have all the staff there to help us recognize our winners.”

Four finalists have been selected for each category. District Teacher of the Year candidates are all current teachers of the year at their assigned schools. Teachers must have taught for at least three academic years to be eligible for nomination.

This year’s Elementary Teacher of the Year finalists are: Gina Hinton, Freedom Elementary first grade teacher; Blakely Ryans, Pat Henry Elementary fourth grade teacher; Raegan Teakell, Woodland Hills Elementary makerspace teacher; and Angela Burke, Crosby Park kindergarten teacher.

The Secondary Teacher of the Year finalists are: Denise Aguilar, Central Middle School Spanish and yearbook teacher; Jeff Elbert, Lawton High School math and media production teacher and coach; Ashley Santos-Comstock, Lawton High School English teacher; and Brandie Knutson, Eisenhower High School math teacher and coach.

The “First Class” award recognizes outstanding new teachers who are in their first year of their careers. The “First Class” finalists are: Kiyoko McCracken, Lincoln Elementary fifth grade teacher; Arianna Crupper, Woodland Hills Elementary pre-K teacher; Katie Dermody, Ridgecrest Elementary third grade teacher; and Angela Howard, Eisenhower High School English and introduction to nursing teacher.

The Educational Support Person of the Year award is returning to the district this year, specifically recognizing support personnel throughout all sites for going above and beyond for their students, faculty and staff. The finalists for this award are: Megan Billings, Life Ready Center library assistant; Janine Sexton, Learning Tree Academy teacher assistant; Franco Martinelli, Douglass Learning Center head custodian; and Alicia Gouveia, Cleveland Elementary teacher assistant.

During “Celebration!” the district also will recognize its Friends of Education Community Award recipients. Hime said the “award honors community members who lift those around them to the greatest possible heights. They go above and beyond to support the district and our students.”

“Celebration!” will be live streamed on the LPSTV Youtube channel, youtube.com/lpstv.