Katie Spillman

Helping sophomore Kelsey Long with an assignment, social studies teacher Kristen Collins reads Long’s response on a review packet. Long enrolled in World History because it was a very engaging class. “Collins was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, because she helped organize us and she worked overtime to be sure we were successful,” Long said.

On Friday, Dec. 1, social studies teacher Kristen Collins won teacher of the year, an award that is annually voted on by the entire staff.

“It is a huge honor to be recognized by your colleagues. Knowing who has won this in the past and that I have been placed alongside people I look up to and admired as a young teacher—it is really a huge honor,” Collins said.

Collins was picked out of three finalists based on her achievements, including piloting the AP World Class in the Parkway School District and the creation of her class, Challenges to Democracy.

“I think Challenges [to Democracy] is important because it teaches us about events in history I never would have known about had I taken regular classes,” senior Cate Santhuff said. “It can be a depressing class, but it opens your eyes to how evil people can be and how we should acknowledge these things.”

Principal Jeremy Mitchell believes the win comes from her passion and her hard work with her Challenges to Democracy class.

“She is a caring, compassionate, rigorous instructor who works her classes like she would her own children,” Mitchell said. “She serves as a role model for many adults in our building.”

Collins hopes that she leaves a lasting impact with her Challenges to Democracy class, especially after being recognized by her peers.

“I really hope my relationships and connections with kids are the thing I am remembered most for. That is probably the most important thing to me. But I think my legacy will be my Challenges class, I think the kids who have been impacted from my class have chosen to follow human rights and courses of life like that. I always tell my class that the biggest thing I want is for them to be engaged in the world. I hope that—at the very least—is what I can do,” Collins said.

Many of Collins’ students, including Santhuff, say she is a passionate teacher who works hard to remain unbiased and allow students to develop their own opinions.

“Collins is an engaging teacher. She challenges students to think outside the box. She challenges her students to try hard and be engaged in the learning,” Santhuff said. “I think Miss Collins fully deserves this award. She’s an amazing teacher, and her class has changed my life.”