The Kansas Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, identifies, recognizes and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. 

2025-26 Kansas Teacher of the Year Award Announced
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Geary County Schools USD 475 is proud to announce that Ware Elementary USD 475 Kindergarten-First Grade Special Education teacher Freda Felton and Fort Riley Middle School USD 475 sixth grade math teacher Samantha Garner have been named the district’s nominees for the Kansas Teacher of the Year Award Program.

Felton was named the USD 475 Elementary Teacher of the Year, while Garner claimed USD 475 Secondary Teacher of the Year honors. By being named USD 475’s Kansas Teacher of the Year Award winners, Felton and Garner both received a $1,000 check on Monday from Exchange Bank of Junction City. The duo will also be recognized at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year Award Program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, recognizes, and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Its mission is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession.

Felton, who has taught in USD 475 for over 20 years, brings a wealth of knowledge, fun, creativity and expertise to the classroom as she not only taught third grade for a number of years at Ware from 1999 to 2008, but has also served in various roles in Special Education, including being a teacher, building coordinator and coach. She is also a part of the Ware site council, district curriculum task force and professional development council.

“It is pretty incredible to receive this award and a little overwhelming because I just come to school every day to do what I love and what I am passionate about. I hope it shows my students that hard work pays off and if you follow your dreams and find what you love, you can accomplish anything,” said Felton.

Garner, who has been in the district for 10 years, is currently in her third year as a sixth-grade math teacher and tennis coach at Fort Riley Middle School. She has spent most of her tenure though as a Special Education teacher at both Fort Riley Middle and Jefferson Elementary.

“I did not expect this and was very surprised when everyone walked in today. I’m very grateful and honored. I hope it shows my students that what we are doing is for a reason and the importance of school,” said Garner, who is also a part of Fort Riley Middle School’s advisory council and building leadership team.

The Kansas State Department of Education will appoint regional selection committees responsible for reviewing the nomination forms and selecting six semifinalists, three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers, for recognition at the regional level. Two regional finalists, one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher, will be chosen from among these six teachers.

Emporia State University established the Kansas Master Teacher awards in 1954. The awards are presented annually to teachers who have served the profession long and well and who also typify the good qualities of earnest and conscientious teachers. 

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Fort Riley Elementary USD 475 fifth grade teacher Emily Chandler was named one of seven statewide 2026 Kansas Master Teachers on Wednesday morning by Emporia State University.

By being chosen for the 2026 class, Chandler becomes the fourth Geary County Schools USD 475 teacher in the last five years to claim the prestigious honor. She is also the 11th individual in USD 475 history to be named a member of the Kansas Master Teachers.

Chandler was chosen alongside Casey Ewy of USD 383, Kathleen Gilliland of USD 253, Heather Hall of USD 229, Michelle Kelly of USD 458, Rachel Tanney of USD 233 and Kimberly Tate of USD 373.

Chandler, who is in her third year of teaching in USD 475 and is a Texas native, brings a wealth of passion, fun and expertise to the classroom as she not only teaches fifth grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at Fort Riley Elementary, but also recently created a journalism club at the school. Prior to her time in USD 475, Chandler, who is also the fourth and fifth grade team lead at FRE, taught at multiple schools in Arizona and Texas.

Through the support of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, each Master Teacher will be presented with a check for $1,000.

The recipients were selected by a committee including representatives from the Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas State Board of Education, K-12 Kansas Principal Association, Kansas Parent Teacher Association, Kansas National Education Association, United School Administrators, Kansas Association of Teacher Educators – Kansas, and representatives of the 2025 Kansas Master Teacher class.

The 2026 Master Teachers will be honored on Master Teacher Day on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at Emporia State University. As part of several recognition activities, Chandler will tour the National Teachers Hall of Fame, one room schoolhouse and participate in the How We Teach This Podcast. The teachers will then be honored during a social hour at 5:45 p.m. in Webb Hall Lobby of Emporia State’s Memorial Union followed by the banquet and award ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Webb Hall.

Previous USD 475 Master Teacher Honorees 
1961 - Jane E. Roether (Junction City)
1988 - Bonnie Weingart (Fort Riley)
1989 - Ada Ligia R. Paquette (Junction City)
1992 - Beth Bergsten (Junction City)
2007 - Angela Miller (Junction City)
2012 - Jodi Testa (Junction City)
2017 - Joan Hayden (Geary County)
2022 - Bryan Scruggs (Geary County)
2023 - Melissa Hall (Geary County)
2024 - Jennifer Fallin (Geary County)
2026 - Emily Chandler (Geary County)

The Kansas Horizon Award program identifies and recognizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. The mission of the program is to recognize exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding. In all, USD 475 has now had 20 recipients be named Kansas Horizon Award honorees in its history.

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Geary County Schools USD 475 is proud to announce that Westwood Elementary USD 475 kindergarten teacher Avery Rush and Junction City High School USD 475 drama teacher BrookeLynn Mackin have been named the district’s nominees for the Kansas Horizon Award Program.

Rush was named the USD 475 Elementary Kansas Horizon Award nominee, while Mackin claimed the Secondary Kansas Horizon Award nomination. By being named USD 475’s Kansas Horizon Award winners, Rush and Mackin both received a $1,000 check on Monday from Central National Bank of Junction City. The duo will also be recognized at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.

The Kansas Horizon Award Program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, identifies, and recognizes representatives of excellent teaching in classrooms across the state. The mission of the program is to recognize exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding.

Rush, who is now in her second year of teaching at Westwood and graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and Landscape Design, was raised in Harveyville, Kansas. She began working in USD 475 as an instructional assistant in September of 2022 before becoming a long-term substitute at Westwood from 2023 to 2024. She was hired full-time as a kindergarten teacher in January of 2024. Fast forward to 2025 and Rush can now be found encouraging her kindergarten students to do their very best and to enjoy every single day by creating a fun and exciting environment for her students to learn in.

“It is such a huge honor to be named the district’s elementary recipient for the Kansas Horizon Award because I absolutely love teaching,” said Rush. “To be honored by USD 475 as a teacher who is making a difference and doing positive things in her classroom, I can’t say enough how much of an honor this is."

Mackin, who is also in her second year in the district and is originally from Burleson, Texas, has helped carry on a long tradition of Junction City High School having one of the best drama and performing arts departments in the entire state. Mackin, who completed her practicum and student taught at JCHS while finishing up her degree at Kansas State University, will help lead two play performances as a full-time teacher by the end of 2025, which include the Importance of Being Earnest and The Man Who Came to Dinner, which will take place later this semester.

“It means a lot that I was named the Kansas Horizon Award secondary nominee for USD 475 especially since we are so close to a military base,” said Mackin. “Our catchphrase is to educate locally and effect globally, and I feel like we do just that with how many diverse students we have coming in and out. I tend to be pretty hard on myself, so it’s really nice to know that I am making a difference in our students lives.”

Kansas Horizon Award Program winners will be recognized at a special luncheon during the 2026 Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) Conference.

Geary County Schools USD 475 has earned recognition from the Kansas State Department of Education in the following areas: Social-Emotional Growth, Kindergarten Readiness, Individual Plan of Study, Civic Engagement and Academically Prepared for Postsecondary.

“I’m so excited that we were able to be recognized by the Kansas State Department of Education as we were able to move up in several areas. These awards reflect the collective effort of everyone in our district towards school improvement while celebrating the achievements of our students and staff,” said Alicia Scofield, USD 475 Director of Teaching and Learning.

For the 2024-25 school year, USD 475 earned a Silver Star in Social-Emotional Growth, Individual Plan of Study and Civic Engagement with the addition of an individual school recognition. The district was also honored with a Bronze Star for its Kindergarten Readiness and a Copper Star in Academically Prepared for Postsecondary.

In addition, USD 475 had one school in Morris Hill Elementary earn the Civic Advocacy Network Award for its commitment to civic engagement for students. KSDE will be recognizing the Panthers during state webinars, while also sending a banner to display in the school.

In all, the district has had a total of 13 schools be recognized in the last three years in civic engagement at the state level, which includes Eisenhower Elementary, Junction City High School, Junction City Middle School, Fort Riley Middle School, Fort Riley Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Milford Elementary, Morris Hill Elementary, Seitz Elementary, Spring Valley Elementary, Ware Elementary , Washington Elementary and Westwood Elementary.

In addition, Fort Riley Elementary fifth grade teacher Emily Chandler becomes the fourth Geary County Schools USD 475 teacher in the last five years to claim the prestigious honor in 2025-26. She is also the 11th individual in USD 475 history to be named a member of the Kansas Master Teachers.

During the 2024-25 school year, the Kansas State Department of Education announced that Spring Valley Elementary first grade teacher Denise Acosta and Junction City High School audio and video teacher Easton Lager were both named 2024-25 Kansas Horizon Award honorees. By being chosen Kansas Horizon Award honorees, Acosta and Lager become the first USD 475 teachers chosen for the award since 2019. In all, USD 475 has now had 20 recipients be named Kansas Horizon Award honorees in its history.

Academically, Lincoln Elementary was named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Lincoln was one of only 356 schools nation-wide to receive this prestigious honor during the 2024-25 school year. The Lions are also one of only four elementary schools in the entire state of Kansas, joining the likes of Garfield Elementary in Augusta, Herington Elementary in Herington and Sunflower Elementary in Paola, to earn National Blue Ribbon School honors. This recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.

With Lincoln Elementary being honored this past year, Geary County Schools has now received a total of 12 National Blue Ribbon School accolades in its history.

USD 475 has also been recognized with the Kansas Superintendent of the Year, a Kansas Scholastic Press Association’s Administrator of the Year, multiple Centennial League Coach of the Year honorees, NAMSP School of the Year and much more during the last couple of years.

By being named the 2026 Kansas Superintendent of the Year by the Kansas School Superintendents' Association on Monday morning, Dr. Reginald Eggleston, USD 475 Superintendent of Schools, is only the third Geary County Schools USD 475 Superintendent all-time to be named Kansas Superintendent of the Year, joining Mary Devin who claimed the award in 1999 and Max Heim who received the honor in 1990.

USD 475 is the first district in state of Kansas to receive a Purple Star designation. USD 475 has achieved the Army Partnership Award three times. This award represents the culmination of the dedication and resiliency of educators across the district. Also academically, USD 475 ranks higher in its KAP scores than the Kansas state average. The district also offers National Honor Society at the elementary, middle and high school. Overall, 70% of our students are in a building that is brand new or has had a major renovation over the past 13 years. USD 475 has received 27 Governor’s Awards since 2006 and continues a tradition of student success.

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Geary County Schools USD 475 is proud to announce that Lincoln Elementary was named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Being named a National Blue Ribbon School is a tremendous honor. This recognition stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families. It highlights our unwavering commitment to academic excellence and to creating an environment where every student can thrive,” said Daniel Dinkel, Lincoln Elementary principal. 

Lincoln is one of only 356 schools nation-wide to receive this prestigious honor in 2024. The Lions are also one of only four elementary schools in the entire state of Kansas, joining the likes of Garfield Elementary in Augusta, Herington Elementary in Herington and Sunflower Elementary in Paola, to earn National Blue Ribbon School honors. This recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.

With Lincoln Elementary being honored, Geary County Schools has now received a total of 12 National Blue Ribbon School accolades in its history.

National Blue Ribbon Schools All-Time in USD 475
2024: Lincoln Elementary
2022: Morris Hill Elementary
2017: Eisenhower Elementary and Sheridan Elementary
2010: Franklin Elementary
2007: Eisenhower Elementary and Morris Hill Elementary
2005: Ware Elementary
2004: Sheridan Elementary and Jefferson Elementary
2003: Custer Hill Elementary
2002: Custer Hill Elementary