2021 Distinguished Student Awards Honor MISD’s Standout Seniors and Inspirational Teachers
McKinney, Texas – It’s one of the highlight events of the year for McKinney ISD, the annual MISD Distinguished Student Awards, a gathering of 45 of the district’s finest students from McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney High School and McKinney North High School— seniors whose academic and extracurricular resumés testify to a dizzying level of accomplishment over the course of their four years of high school.
The Distinguished Student Award is one of the highest honors that MISD bestows upon a student.
The Distinguished Student Awards Dinner made a welcome return to the MISD Community Event Center for 2021 after its cancellation last spring due to concerns over the pandemic.
Traditionally held on one night, the 2021 event was spread over three evenings—April 29, May 5 and May 6, one ceremony for each MISD high school—to better accommodate social distancing efforts. Members of the MISD Board of Trustees and MISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel were joined by district and campus leadership in welcoming students and their families as honored guests at each dinner.

McKinney ISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel speaks at the 2021 MISD Distinguished Student Awards Dinner on May 5, 2021.
Distinguished Student honorees are selected each year in the following areas: English, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, Career and Technology, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Athletics, another specific field of study (At-Large), and the Valedictorian and Salutatorian from each high school.
In addition to these exceptional students, the district honors some of MISD’s finest teachers. Each of the Distinguished Students is asked to select the teacher who has made the most significant impact on his or her life, and these dedicated teachers are honored with the MISD Inspirational Teacher Award.
At each of the awards ceremonies, students and their Inspirational Teachers were called to the stage where McDaniel and board members waited to bestow the awards as a video presentation highlighted each student’s achievements and shared their comments about their Inspirational Teacher.

(l-r) McKinney ISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel, McKinney High School Valedictorian Thorsen Kristufek, McKinney High School Inspirational Teacher Carol Winters and MISD Board of Trustees Vice President Stephanie O’Dell listen as a recorded presentation highlights Thorsen’s accomplishments and shares his thoughts about how Winters impacted his education.
At the conclusion of each of the awards ceremonies, McDaniel shared some parting thoughts.
“Obviously, all of you in this room are headed for great things,” said McDaniel. “You will undoubtedly be successful at whatever it is that you choose to do in life. My request is this. I ask you to take the time to come back and thank those individuals that poured their lives into you, whether it’s your parents, your teachers—the ones that were honored here tonight, or perhaps some other individual that positively impacted you while you were a student in McKinney ISD. Take the time to thank them … I hope that you leave here tonight feeling like you’ve been honored and that we’ve provided you with a night that you can look back on fondly. I wish you all the very best, and the next time I see you, I’ll be shaking your hand as you walk across that stage at graduation. What a special and well-deserved night that is going to be.”
Here are the 2021 McKinney ISD Distinguished Students:
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