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3 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Friday, Wichita Public Schools (WPS) surprised eight teachers with Distinguished Classroom Teacher Awards. The program honors outstanding teachers who affect the quality of education in WPS.
To get the honor, a teacher must be nominated by parents, building administrators, or a peer. The nominations go to a committee consisting of principals, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, the assistant superintendents of elementary and secondary schools and a member of United Teachers of Wichita. That committee chooses the winners.
This year’s winners are:
Elementary schools
Primary (Grades PreK-2) Category: Maribel Benedict, a kindergarten teacher at Allen Elementary School
Intermediate (Grades 3-5) Category: Mario Flores, a 3rd-grade teacher at Gammon Elementary
New Teacher Category: Jamie Lansang, a 3rd-grade teacher at Seltzer Elementary School
Support Teacher Category: Patrick Loganbill, P.E. teacher at Linwood Elementary School
Middle schools
Middle School Category: Erik Cooke-Stone, vocal music teacher at Gordon Parks Academy
Secondary schools
High School Teacher Category: Stacy Chestnut, English teacher at East High School
New Teacher Category: Kiara Suarez-Sosa, English teacher at East High School
Support Teacher Category: Kristina Matthaei, WPS Instructional Coach, Morris Administrative Center
KSN News was able to tag along as some of the first teachers were notified Friday morning.
“I’m just elated. I’m shocked,” Matthaei said. “I’ve worked in our district for 23 years, and this is just … it means the world to me. I come to work every day and do the work that I am passionate about and I love. The fact that one of these people nominated me … I cried the day we got the nomination, and I felt like that was the win. To actually receive the poster even more of a win, it’s so exciting.”
“I’ve been doing this for a long time now, almost 20 years,” Chestnut said. “I work with some of the best teachers in the state, if not the nation and I’m just proud to honor them because their hard work and what we do together as a department and all our East High family has contributed to my success.”
“I feel very honored to have this nomination, and I feel like I will represent my peers very well as well as East High School,” Suarez-Sosa said.