The Unified School District #456 Board of Education is proud to recognize Thad Thurston, Math Teacher at Marais des Cygnes Valley High School, as the USD 456 Teacher of the Year for the 2020-2021 school year. With this selection, Mr. Thurston becomes the school district nominee for the Kansas State Department of Education's Teacher of the Year program.
The USD 456 Teacher of the Year award is in its third year, created in response to the call from KSDE to select nominees for its' statewide Teacher of the Year program. For this award, Mr. Thurston was selected amongst district certified staff through a nomination process that included students, staff, and community members and then chosen by the board of education.
In being the district's nominee for the annual KSDE Teacher of the Year program, it should be noted that to be a nominee for the program is a highly prestigious honor with only 8 state-level finalists selected from over 100 nominees, of which will include Mr. Thurston. To be considered for KSDE's Teacher of the Year, district nominees complete a professional application packet including a professional biography, response questions, recommendation letters, and a number of other information items.
For this year's Teacher of the Year award, Mr. Thurston was selected due to his extensive commitment to the success of his math students at MDCV, along with the valuable knowledge he provides in mentoring students outside of the classroom, whether it be through coaching, building leadership, or personal connection. Mr. Thurston is widely respected for being a teacher that not only cares about his students in the classroom, but long after they have left the classroom, continuing a lasting guidance that is undeniably beneficial. Congratulations are extended from the USD 456 Board of Education to Thad Thurston upon his selection.