Regional Teachers, Superintendent and School Board of the Year to be Honored Oct. 24
Honorees will represent Belton, Copperas Cove, La Vega & Killeen ISDs
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WACO, Texas –Regional Teachers, Superintendent and School Board of the Year will be honored by Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 at a special awards ceremony and reception at 6 p.m., Monday at 2101 W. Loop 340 in Waco.

The Region 12 Elementary Teacher of the Year (TOTY) is Jane Apodaca in Killeen ISD and the Region 12 Secondary TOTY is Kevin Rasco in Belton ISD. Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) Dr. Sharon Shields with La Vega ISD and the Board of the Year (SBOTY) from Copperas Cove ISD will also be honored. “We are so pleased to recognize these individuals for their hard work and dedication to students staff and their community,” Dr. Jerry Maze, executive director for ESC Region 12, said. “The commitment they have to being mentors and motivators is truly an inspiration.”

Apodaca has worked in education for seven years, serving as a teacher for the last six and as an instructional aide during her first year with Killeen ISD. For the past three years, she has taught fourth-grade science at Bellaire Elementary in Killeen. Rasco has been teaching for the last five years at Belton High School. He currently teaches 12th-grade economics and advanced placement macroeconomics.

Shields, is also was one of five state finalists named for the Texas Superintendent of the Year award, sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards. She has served as superintendent for the past six years and has been associated with La Vega ISD for two decades.

In addition to being Regional Board of the Year, the Copperas Cove ISD Board is one of five state honor boards named by the Texas Association of School Administrators. This is the second time for the board to be recognized at the regional level, having been named regional School Board of the Year in 2004.

ESC Region 12 will also recognize several outstanding administrators who have recently retired as superintendents in the region. The honorees are Vivian Baker (Belton ISD), Kerry Hansen (Troy ISD) and Doug Lane (Mildred ISD).

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