JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – Geary County Schools USD 475 and the Junction City Education Association are proud to announce that Westwood Elementary kindergarten teacher Stephanie Sowell and Fort Riley Middle School sixth grade language arts teacher Mary McConnell have been named the district’s nominees for the Kansas Master Teacher Award.
Sowell was named the USD 475 Elementary Master Teacher Award nominee, while McConnell claimed the Secondary Master Teacher Award nomination. By being named USD 475’s Master Teacher Award winners, Sowell and McConnell both received a $500 check on Monday from Sunflower Bank of Junction City. The duo will also be recognized at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.
To be selected, the Master Teacher must be a member of Junction City Education Association and chosen by a committee comprised of previous district Master Teachers who still teach in USD 475.
Overall, USD 475 has had 11 individuals selected as a Kansas Master Teacher by Emporia State University in its history. Since 2022, the district has had at least one USD 475 teacher claim the prestigious honor as Bryan Scruggs (2022), Melissa Hall (2023) and Jennifer Fallin (2024) were all named a member of the Kansas Master Teachers.
Emporia State University established the Kansas Master Teacher awards in 1954. The awards are presented annually to selected teachers who demonstrate the attributes of exemplary professional educators.
Sowell, who is in her 12th year of teaching in USD 475 and is a Manhattan native, brings a wealth of passion, fun, creativity and expertise to the classroom as she has taught kindergarten at Westwood Elementary for six years. She began teaching in the district at Seitz Elementary and has served on several tasks force teams during her tenure.
“Teaching is such a passion. To be recognized for doing what you love is truly an honor. It is such a special day for me and I’m so happy that I was able to have all my kids be able to see it. It was truly awesome and so special that everyone was able to be here to see this,” said Sowell.
McConnell, a Tennessee native, has been in the district and at Fort Riley Middle School for eight years. She spends her days in the classroom not only making a difference, but also challenging her sixth-grade ELA students by helping them grow daily through student-centered lessons. Prior to coming to Fort Riley, McConnell taught for two years in Tennessee before subbing at FRMS during the 2017 school year.
“It’s exciting to be a nominee for the Kansas Master Teacher Award. Our building has had a nominee each of the last four years, so it is kind of crazy that I was chosen to be the next one in a long line of awesome people. I feel very honored,” said McConnell.
The Kansas Master Teacher Award nomination portal opened Oct. 11, 2024. Nominations will close at 5 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2025. Through the support of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, each Master Teacher chosen will be presented with a check for $1,000 and will be highlighted at Emporia State's Master Teacher Day on Wednesday, April 2.
The seven state-wide recipients will be selected by a nine-member committee including representatives from the Kansas Association of Principals, Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas Parent Teacher Organization, Kansas National Education Association, United School Administrators, ESU’s Kappa Delta Pi student organization and representatives of past Kansas Master Teacher classes.
Previous USD 475 Master Teacher Honorees
1961 - Jane E. Roether (Junction City)
1988 - Bonnie Weingart (Fort Riley)
1989 - Ada Ligia R. Paquette (Junction City)
1992 - Beth Bergsten (Junction City)
2007 - Angela Miller (Junction City)
2012 - Jodi Testa (Junction City)
2016 - Carol Settgast (Geary County)
2017 - Joan Hayden (Geary County)
2022 - Bryan Scruggs (Geary County)
2023 - Melissa Hall (Geary County)
2024 - Jennifer Fallin (Geary County)