• 2019 MISD Secondary Teacher of the Year Alisha Jonker (left) and Elementary Teacher of the Year Marlana Dumas (right)
• Mayor George Fuller speaks at the 2019 McKinney ISD Teacher of the Year Dinner.
• Members of the McKinney North High School True North choir ensemble perform at the 2019 MISD Teacher of the Year Dinner.
• McKinney ISD held its annual Teacher of the Year Dinner at the new MISD Community Event Center on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

McKinney, Texas – Family, friends and community leaders joined McKinney ISD officials and school board members at the new MISD Community Event Center on Thursday, April 4, to celebrate the brightest stars among the district’s panoply of top notch educators—and to reveal the 2019 MISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year.

After a fine dinner and a performance featuring the stellar vocal stylings of the True North choir ensemble from McKinney North High School, the evening’s assembled guests heard brief but poignant remarks from MISD Board of Trustees President Curtis Rippee, Mayor George Fuller and last year’s District Teachers of the Year, Tiffany Scott and Joe Tomkins.

Members of the McKinney North High School True North choir ensemble perform a barbershop quartet number at the 2019 MISD Teacher of the Year Dinner.

Rippee lauded teachers for continually putting others first but encouraged them to enjoy the spotlight for one evening. This celebration was for them.

“I’ve learned that in life if you want to have a successful marriage, successful company, successful school district,” Rippee said, “you’re going to have to put others’ needs before your own. And, if you’ll put others’ needs before your own, things tend to work out pretty well.

“When I think about teachers,” Rippee continued, “that is what you do every single day. You put the needs of others—the needs of kids—before your own. And, while most days it’s not about you, tonight is about you. Tonight is about celebrating you. So, I have a request. When you come up onstage to get your award, I want you to relish the moment.”

McKinney ISD Board of Trustees President Curtis Rippee speaks at the 2019 MISD Teacher of the Year Dinner.

Then, the time came for McDaniel and Rippee to present the Campus Teacher of the Year awards to 30 of the district’s best educators, chosen by their colleagues as each school’s most exemplary representative of the profession. Each award presentation was punctuated by a moving video spotlight on each teacher.

All of them had participated in a portfolio and interview process, and from among those 30 teachers, two elementary finalists, two secondary finalists and the MISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year would be revealed.

McKinney ISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel speaks at the 2019 MISD Teacher of the Year Dinner.

“Let me clarify something,” McDaniel added in prelude to the big announcement. “The reason that we hold this program every year is to honor each campus teacher of the year. It isn’t about who is selected as the winner. We do that for the purpose of designating a representative for our district at the regional level. The fact that you were selected, teachers, by your peers is the highest honor that you can receive in your career. You need to be proud of that. But, for the purpose of sending a representative to the regional or state levels, we will now announce the finalists for this honor.”

The first name McDaniel called was Elementary Second Runner-up Julie Lantiere, a music teacher from Press Elementary. She was followed by First Runner-up Justin Bourgeois-Delgado, an early childhood teacher from Lawson Early Childhood School. English teacher Celeste Tisdale from McKinney Boyd was the Second Runner-up at the secondary level, and the First Runner-up at the secondary level was Nancy Bridges, a literature teacher from McKinney North.

Marlana Dumas from Minshew Elementary speaks at the 2019 McKinney ISD Teacher of the Year Dinner after being named the MISD Elementary Teacher of the Year.

But, the most anticipated moment of the evening arrived with the announcement of each of the District Teachers of the Year: MISD 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year Marlana Dumas from Minshew Elementary and MISD 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year Alisha Jonker from Cockrill Middle School.

This was greeted by loud cheers from the entire room, and as each received her award, McDaniel gestured toward the podium and the microphone.

“I really believe in education,” Dumas said, “and I feel like education is what levels the playing field for our children. And, it’s where we allow children to really come into their own. We teach more than reading and writing and math. We teach these kids how to be productive citizens and how to come back and give back and just to be really great people. In the end that’s my legacy. I just really want my kids to just come back and be really, really good people.”

Cockrill Middle School teacher Alisha Jonker speaks at the 2019 McKinney ISD Teacher of the Year Dinner after being named the MISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Then, it was Jonker’s turn.

“The fact is that we in this room are a very small representation of the caliber of teachers that are here at McKinney ISD,” Jonker said. “And, it speaks highly of Dr. McDaniel and especially my principal Dr. Epperson for hiring such a great staff that we are constantly pushing each other to become the best we can—because, at the end of the day, our kids deserve our best.”

Here are the truly exceptional 2019 Teachers of the Year from McKinney ISD…

Campus Teachers of the Year:

Bennett Elementary—Kayla Baker

Burks Elementary—Karen Hartford

Caldwell Elementary—Maria Moreno

Eddins Elementary—Melissa Ringel

Finch Elementary—Victor Rodriguez Santiago

Glen Oaks Elementary—Vicki Nance

Reuben Johnson Elementary—Kristine McGuire

Lawson Early Childhood School—Justin Bourgeois-Delgado (MISD 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year First Runner-up)

Malvern Elementary—Cassie Ashby

McClure Elementary—Katie Lydon

McGowen Elementary—Krista Selby

McNeil Elementary—Pamela Michal

Minshew Elementary—Marlana Dumas (MISD 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year)

Press Elementary—Julie Lantiere (MISD 2019 Elementary Teacher of the Year Second Runner-up)

Slaughter Elementary—Andrea McCasland

Valley Creek Elementary—Victor Chavez

Vega Elementary—Meagan Hansen

Walker Elementary—Ilene Baumel

Webb Elementary—Jessica Fair

Wilmeth Elementary—Stacy Caldwell

Wolford Elementary—Cynthia Megelich

Cockrill Middle School—Alisha Jonker (MISD 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year)

Dowell Middle School—Holly Bodmer

Evans Middle School—Enza Fangio

Faubion Middle School—Margaret Parry

Scott Johnson Middle School—Kristin White

McKinney Boyd High School—Celeste Tisdale (MISD 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year Second Runner-up)

McKinney High School—Candace O’Brien

McKinney North High School—Nancy Bridges (MISD 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year First Runner-up)

DAEP—Paulette Sexton

Need Help?

If you need additional assistance with the content on this page, please contact MISD Communications Department team member Shane Mauldin by phone at 469-302-4007 or by email here .