There were two USD 457 teachers that were recognized on Saturday, April 18th, at the Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year award ceremony. Desiree Delehant, math teacher at Charles O. Stones Intermediate Center, and Scott Glass, chemistry and engineering teacher at Garden City High School, were both nominated for the award, which recognizes excellent teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms across the state.
Scott Glass, GCHS chemistry and engineering teacher and Alayna Mancillas, a preschool teacher in Ulysses Unified School District 214, were named Region 1 finalists for the 2027 Kansas Teacher of the Year award program during a ceremony held in Salina, Kansas. They are each now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during a ceremony in September.
Nominations are made in each of four regions in the state. Region 1 covers the first U.S. congressional district in Kansas. The Kansas State Department of Education (KDSE), sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels comprised of teachers, education administrators, and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region.
Each panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.
The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession.
The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, comprised of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.
The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.