By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Geary County Schools USD 475 announced that Washington Elementary fifth grade teacher Aspyn Girard and Junction City Middle School sixth grade social studies teacher Kylie Kiser have been named the district’s nominees for the Kansas Horizon Award Program. Girard was named the USD 475 Elementary Kansas Horizon Award nominee, while Kiser claimed the Secondary Kansas Horizon Award nomination.
By being named USD 475’s Kansas Horizon Award winners, Girard and Kiser both received a $1,000 check on Wednesday from Central National Bank of Junction City. The duo will also be recognized at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.The Kansas Horizon Award Program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, identifies, and recognizes representatives of excellent teaching in classrooms across the state. The mission of the program is to recognize exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding.
Girard, who is now in her second year of teaching fifth grade students at Washington and graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, was raised in Clay Center, Kansas. She began working in USD 475 as a student teacher in the fourth grade at Seitz Elementary during the 2024-25 school year. Fast forward to 2026 and Girard can now be found encouraging her fifth-grade students at Washington to do their very best by creating a fun and engaging classroom for them to learn in.“This was completely unexpected, but it means a lot to be recognized,” said Girard. “It is such a tremendous honor to be named the district’s elementary recipient of the Kansas Horizon Award because I truly love my students and our school."
Kiser, who is also in her second year at JCMS and is originally from Omaha, Neb., student taught at Junction City High School during the 2024-25 school year while finishing up her degree at Kansas State University. She began working in the district as a substitute teacher at JCHS where she helped teach 10th Grade World History, 10th Grade AP World History and Global Affairs - Current Events from January through May 2025. During her short tenure at JCMS, Kiser has already found meaningful ways to connect with students, while also taking on leadership roles among her peers, including through Activity Sponsorship Applications. “I’m super excited and it means so much to be named the secondary nominee for USD 475,” said Kiser. “I feel like I’m just doing my job, so it’s incredibly meaningful to be recognized for going above and beyond. recognition.”
Kansas Horizon Award Program winners will be recognized at a special luncheon during the 2027 Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) Conference in Tope
