HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Classes don’t start until Thursday, but as always the nearly 900 Hutchinson Public Schools’ staff members formally began the 2018-19 school year with the annual opening convocation on Monday.

Several educators were honored during the event. The Davis Foundation made its annual Teachers of the Year Awards.

The elementary winners were Cami Burkhart, McCandless school teacher, and Heather Hirt, Head Start teacher.

The middle school winner was Megan Yoder, 7th grade teacher at Hutchinson Middle School.

The high school winners were Erica Henion, HHS science teacher, and retired HHS teacher Diana Wilson.

Each winner receives $4,000. The Davis Foundation has contributed millions of dollars to Hutchinson Public Schools’ staff and students since its first scholarships were awarded to HHS seniors 60 years ago. This is the 36th time the awards have been made to teachers.

Since the first awards, Davis has made awards of more than $450,000 to USD 308 teachers.
Also during Monday’s event the Classified Employee of the Year was handed out to Barbara Cooper. Cooper is a resource room para at Faris Elementary School.

Ashleigh Vieyra, third grade teacher at Graber Elementary School, and Janie Patterson, accounting teacher at HHS, have been nominated as the district’s entries in the Kansas National Teacher of the Year competition.