School and Community Fall 2022

2023 Missouri Regional Teachers of the Year C ongratulations to these terrific educators! MSTA is honored to have 16 of our members included among the 2023 Regional Teachers of the Year, as announced by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Furthermore, six members were named semi-finalists and three were named finalists. Committees comprised of education peers and key stakeholders from each Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) in Missouri selected the 2023 Regional Teachers of the Year. MSTAmember James Young, a music teacher in the Ferguson-Florissant R-2 School District, served as Missouri’s Teacher of the Year for 2022.

throughout the school year. It takes a lot to admit to your students that you are still learning as they are, and there are so many wonderful professionals who are happy to come out and share the classroom for a day. If I asked your colleagues, what would they say about your teaching style? One of the things you would notice if you spent years teaching on our band staff in Belton is that I lead the planning of my year with curiosity in mind. I like to think about what new and creative performance options I could provide and set up for my students that they (and our band staff) haven’t done before. There are plenty of people in our community who haven’t had the opportunity to see and hear a band performance, and I try to spice things up every year with new places to perform to give those people an opportunity to be blown away by our students’ hard work. District: Kingston K-14 Grade level: 10-11th Subject: Physical Science, Earth & Space Science, and Robotics Number of years in education: 8 total - 3 as a teacher’s aide and 5 as a certified science teacher When did you know you picked the right career? I knew I had picked the right career as a teacher when I noticed that students were having fun learning in my class. Also, every time I have a student seek me out because they’re having a bad day or just need help and they feel comfortable coming to me. What makes you eager to start a new year? I get eager to start a new year when I’ve had lots of rest and have found new projects or lesson ideas that I look forward to introducing to students. It is really Allison Gill School building: Kingston High

Dylan Noble *semi-finalist School buildings: Belton Middle School and Belton High School District: Belton School District Grade level: 7-12th Subject: Band Number of years in education: 7

When did you know you picked the right career? The moment that I knew I had made a true difference in my students’ lives was one day during our annual band camp when all my students surprised me with the spirit day. Each year for band camp, the second week of camp our student leadership decides on different spirit days to dress up, similar to homecoming. On one of the days, I show up completely surprised that all my kids changed the theme to “dress like Mr. Noble for the day” without me knowing, which meant wearing their most fashionable plaid shirts, khaki shorts, fake name badges and straw hats. It was amazing that of the 100+ members in band, not a single one of them squeaked the surprise to me beforehand! Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself as a first-year teacher? For a teacher to attain growth, they must surround themselves with veteran teachers who can help them address their weaknesses. In band, there are so many instruments that my students learn in class. It was impossible for me to know the ins and outs of every single instrument as a first year teacher, especially those instruments with which I was not as familiar with. One of the best pieces of advice I would tell myself is to bring in professionals to model and clinic for my students on instruments that I am not an expert in. I wasn’t enrolled in a jazz ensemble throughout my time in college, but I’ve had students receive All-State Jazz honors because of the investment that I’ve made into finding professionals who are willing to come into my classroom and work with them

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