10 finalists — 2 fewer than usual — named for 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award

Murray Evans, The Oklahoman
·2 min read
The Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalists are: First row, from left: Amanda Bowser, Amanda Winn, Nichole Leib, Lisa Sager, Brian Muller. Second row, from left: Stephanie Overby, Jake Henderson, Frances Millspaugh, Laura Powell and Rachel Keith.
The Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalists are: First row, from left: Amanda Bowser, Amanda Winn, Nichole Leib, Lisa Sager, Brian Muller. Second row, from left: Stephanie Overby, Jake Henderson, Frances Millspaugh, Laura Powell and Rachel Keith.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education on Thursday announced a list of 10 finalists — two fewer than in most years — for the 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award.

This is the first time the finalists have been announced by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who took office in January 2023, and the announcement was delayed by several months. Traditionally, award finalists for a particular calendar year have been announced in the previous October — for example, the 2023 finalists were announced in October 2022.

The winner of the 2024 award won’t be announced until July in conjunction with InspireOK, a professional development event for educators. The 2023 winner, Traci Manuel, of Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, was announced that March.

Education Department spokesman Dan Isett did not respond to a question about why the number of finalists also was cut from the traditional 12 to 10 for this year.

Finalists were initially selected by their peers at their school site, then by district leadership as their district’s teacher of the year. The finalists will be interviewed and evaluated by a panel of Oklahomans to determine the state teacher of the year.

Who are the finalists for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year?

The 10 finalists announced Thursday were:• Amanda Bowser, Broken Arrow Public Schools (Rosewood Elementary School)• Jake Henderson, Woodward Public Schools (Woodward High School)• Rachel Keith, Ada City Schools (Ada High School)• Nichole Leib, Morris Public Schools (Morris Elementary School)• Frances Millspaugh, Locust Grove Public Schools (Locust Grove High School)• Brian Muller, Mid-Del Public Schools (Parkview Elementary School)• Stephanie Overby, Lawton Public Schools (Eisenhower Elementary School)• Laura Powell, Anadarko Public Schools (Anadarko High School)• Lisa Sager, Durant Public Schools (Durant Middle School)• Amanda Winn, Glenpool Public Schools (Glenpool Elementary School)

“I am thrilled to introduce this year’s finalists for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year,” Walters said in a statement. “These 10 extraordinary educators are setting high standards for teachers throughout our state. Each of these finalists are models for exceptional performance in the classroom, and I wish them all the best throughout the selection process.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters names 10 finalists for Oklahoma teacher of the year award