Being named “Teacher of the Year” is a great honor, and for four of Karns High School’s best teachers, being nominated is a phenomenal achievement. To make the honor even greater, the nominees were voted on by other teachers in the building. This year’s  “Teacher of the Year” nominees include Mrs. April Shoults, a member of the English department, sponsor for SGA, and ten year teaching veteran; Mr. BJ Arvin, a four year member of the social studies department,; Mrs. Laura Whittington, another member of the English department in her 25th year of teaching; and Mrs. Elizabeth Zoldessy, who is retiring this year after becoming an integral part of our school. Mrs. Zoldessy will also be representing Karns High School as our nominee for “District Teacher of the Year.”

All of our interviewees said basically the same thing. Teachers are underappreciated, and this award shines a light on them. The first thing Mrs. Whittington did when she found out she was nominated was tell her mom. This goes to show how far a little bit of validation goes in a job where sometimes angry, hormonal teenagers can be a challenge. The fact that their peers recognize them for their dedication to excellence means a whole lot to teachers, as evidenced by Mr. Arvin who said, “To be in the top four in building with as many teachers as we have is already a great honor.” The other winners echoed his statement. Teachers care about students receiving an education just as much as, and in some cases more than, students do. Teachers do have their own appreciation week; it’s May 4th through May 8th if you were wondering. If you see these teachers be sure to congratulate them because as Mr. Sutton says, “Sometimes teachers need their roses now.”