Emporia State Names Class of 2025 Kansas Master Teachers

LOCAL INTEREST for these Kansas communities: Allen, Goddard, Macksville, Neodesha, Olathe, Sedgwick and Stilwell.

Emporia, KS (02/13/2025) — Seven members of the class of 2025 Kansas Master Teachers were named today (Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025) by Emporia State University. The teachers chosen for this annual award are:

• Casey Engel, English language arts teacher at Blue Valley High School, USD 229 Blue Valley
• Jennifer Gillespie, social studies teacher at Macksville High School, USD 351 Macksville
• Jessica Madinger, English language arts teacher at Northern Heights High School, USD 251 North Lyon County
• Rochelle Mann, K-4 music teacher at Amelia Earhart Elementary, USD 265 Goddard
• Heather Newkirk, third grade teacher at Heller Elementary, USD 461 Neodesha
• Marylavonne Roseberry, English/speech communications teacher at Sedgwick High School, USD 439 Sedgwick
• Andrew Taylor, ninth grade biology teacher at Olathe Northwest High School, USD 233 Olathe

The recipients were selected by a committee including representatives from the Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas National Education Association, United School Administrators, and representatives of the 2024 Kansas Master Teacher class.

The 2025 Master Teachers will be honored on Master Teacher Day on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Emporia State University. As part of several recognition activities, the teachers will tour the National Teachers Hall of Fame, one room schoolhouse and participate in the How We Teach This Podcast. The teachers will then be honored during a social hour at 5:45 p.m. in Webb Hall Lobby of Emporia State's Memorial Union followed by the banquet and award ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Webb Hall.

Tickets for the dinner cost $25, and reservations are required by Friday, March 21, 2025. For more information, go to www.emporia.edu/masterteacher.

ESU established the Kansas Master Teacher awards in 1954. The awards are presented annually to selected teachers who demonstrate the attributes of exemplary professional educators. Information on the 70 years of educators named Kansas Master Teachers is available at www.emporia.edu/masterteacher.

The Kansas Master Teacher program appreciates the longtime support of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Since 1980, Bank of America has pledged more than $100,000 to permanently endow the Kansas Master Teacher awards.

In 1984, the Black family of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, established an endowed chair for Kansas Master Teachers. The fund provides a stipend to bring two Master Teachers to Emporia State for several days. During this time, the teachers present to classes of education students and are members of the Kansas Master Teachers Selection Committee.