Jackson Magazine Announces 2020 Top Teachers

(May 5, 2020 4:56 PM) Jackson Magazine has announced the winners of the 2020 Top Teacher Awards.  The annual awards are usually presented at a banquet and ceremony on Teacher Appreciation Day, May 5.  Jackson Magazine has had to postpone the tenth annual awards event to a date yet to be determined.

Over 100 teacher nominations were received for this year’s awards. To choose the Top Teachers, a committee of educators whittled the list to the Top 10. Those 10 teachers received two classroom visits from a second committee; a third group chose the final five.

The Top Teachers of 2020 are:

• Teacher of the Year: Marnie Hade, Northwest High School
• Paul Bickel, Western High School
• Jessica Crandell, Northwest Elementary
• Amber Keathley, Northwest Early Elementary
• Sarah Runkel, Northwest Kidder Middle School

These are the other Top Teachers making it to the Top 10:

• Amanda Aguilera, Columbia Elementary School
• Lisa Ebener, Northwest Elementary
• Melinda Spicer, Concord Community Schools
• Julie Evers, Northwest High School
• Matthew Snell, Northwest High School

In addition to recognition in the May issue of Jackson Magazine, the Top Teachers also received a total of $9,000, thanks to a partnership that began in 2014 with the Jackson Community Foundation (JCF) and the Hurst Foundation. The magazine can be seen online at www.jacksonmagazine.com.

Through the Teacher’s Fund of JCF and the Hurst Foundation, four Top Teachers each received a $1,000 grant for classroom use and/or professional development. The Teacher of the Year received $5,000. 

Nominations for 2021 are now being accepted at JacksonMagazine.com. To be eligible, a teacher must teach K-12 in a Jackson County school and have at least five years of experience.

See Marnie Hade’s interview on today’s Bart Hawley Show here.