Congrats Building Teacher/Staff of the Year Winners!

The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is proud to share this year’s building winners of Teacher of the Year (TOY) and Staff of the Year (SOY). This year's building TOY winners included the following: Fortville Elementary - Kelsey Rusk, McCordsville Elementary - Abby Kern, Mt. Comfort Elementary - Liz Jenkins, Mt. Vernon High School - Laura Hannah, Mt. Vernon Middle School - Michelle Dunahee, Administration Building - Krista Weber. SOY winners included the following: Fortville Elementary - Beth Thomas, McCordsville Elementary - Trudy Cole, Mt. Comfort Elementary - Tonya Brown, Mt. Vernon High School - Kelly Fleming, Mt. Vernon Middle School - Cathy Womack, Administration Building - Tori Wisker. Special thanks to the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation (MVEF) for sponsoring Mt. Vernon’s TOY and SOY awards.

The selection process begins with the staff in each building nominating their colleagues. The top three teachers and staff members with the highest number of nominations were then rated by their peers on these values: dedication, team player, caring, student-centered, lifelong learner, and innovative. The building winners received the highest scores.

Next, the building winners will submit an application to the MVEF TOY/SOY committee which will select a district TOY and SOY. The committee will use the Indiana Department of Education’s TOY scoring rubric to evaluate each building winner and determine the overall MVCSC District TOY and SOY winners.  

Both district winners will receive a $2,500 stipend through the Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award, thanks to the generosity of MVEF donors, Jill and Kevin Prefontaine. Additionally, each building winner will receive a $500 award. In 2018, Jill Prefontaine and Kevin established the Ryan Fry Excellence in Education Award to recognize MVCSC district TOY and SOY. Jill wanted to create this honor to “combine the love that she has for her brother and great teachers.” The cash award was created in honor of Jill’s brother Ryan. Both Ryan and Jill were MV graduates and Jill’s father, Kenneth, was a math teacher at Mt. Vernon for over 30 years.  This award aligns itself and supports the MVEF Strategic Plan in “encouraging and recognizing excellence and ingenuity among our educators and staff.” 

The Mt. Vernon Education Foundation (MVEF) will announce the district TOY and SOY awards at the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation’s Black and Gold Gala on April 6. The community is invited to attend this enjoyable evening that supports Mt. Vernon students and staff. 

Congratulations to all of our 2023-2024 building TOY and SOY winners!