Announcement made during Sunday ceremony in Overland Park.

OVERLAND PARK — Amber Pagan, a Pre-K teacher at Nieman Elementary School, Shawnee Mission Unified School District 512, and Ryan Mellick, an industrial technology teacher at Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs USD 204, were named Region 3 finalists for the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year award during a ceremony on Sunday, April 7.

This award recognizes excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms in Kansas. The KTOY Region 3 awards banquet took place at the Overland Park Sheraton Hotel, 6100 College Blvd., in Overland Park.

As finalists for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction, Pagan and Mellick each received a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner for the KTOY program. In addition, they are eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Wichita.

Pagan and Mellick were among six KTOY semifinalists from Region 3, which covers the 3rd U.S. congressional district.

Other Region 3 KTOY semifinalists were Dandra Arter, a library media specialist at Clear Creek Elementary School, De Soto USD 232; Hannah Mastorakos, a first-grade teacher at Welborn Elementary School, Kansas City USD 500; Aaron Batterbee, a science teacher at Gardner Edgerton High School, Gardner Edgerton USD 231; and Daniel Freeman, a band and music theory teacher at Blue Valley High School, Blue Valley USD 229.

Each of the semifinalists received a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.

This year, 120 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.

Nominations are made in each of the four regions in the state. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), sponsor of the KTOY program, appoints regional selection panels comprised of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region aligned with the state’s four congressional districts.

Each panel selects six semifinalists - three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.

The mission of the KTOY program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession.

Members of the KTOY team, comprised of the current Kansas Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serve as ambassadors for education in Kansas. They make public appearances across the state to promote education and the teaching profession.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for selection as National Teacher of the Year, a program of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in partnership with the Voya Foundation.

###