RPDC announces Regional Teachers of the Year

The Regional Professional Development Center at Northwest Missouri State University has announced two area teachers as its Regional Teachers of the Year.

This year’s honorees are Barbara Spencer, an art teacher at Spring Garden Middle School in the St. Joseph School District, and Stacy Walker, who teaches science for grades three through five at North Andrew R-VI School District.

The Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year award is part of the Missouri Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The program recognizes the efforts of effective teachers in providing quality education to their students. Preparing, developing and supporting effective educators is one of DESE’s primary goals.

The honorees are now eligible to compete for the 2024-2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year. A selection committee, comprising teachers, business leaders and education organization leaders, will choose the Missouri Teacher of the Year after interviews with each finalist this fall. The winner and the finalists will be honored in October in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Missouri Teacher of the Year serves as the state’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition.

The Northwest Regional Professional Development Center supports and provides professional development activities for K-12 educators in 59 school districts in the 15-county Northwest region.