30 May 2021 PCSSD announces district teacher of the year

PULASKI COUNTY — For the first time, the Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) is participating in the Arkansas Teacher of the Year program. Through a rigorous selection process, each of PCSSD’s 25 school as well as the Center of Innovation, selected one educator as their school teacher of the year.

The District hosted an awards breakfast on May 13 to recognize the school winners and announce the PCSSD Teacher of the Year. The 2020-2021 PCSSD Teacher of the Year is Sylvan Hills Middle School teacher Shanon Hum.

She has been an educator in PCSSD for 32 years, teaching primary grades at Cato Elementary, and 6th grade math and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) at Sylvan Hills Middle School. In2015, Mrs. Hum received the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year Award.

In a letter of recommendation, Sylvan Hills Middle School principal Mike Hudgeons said, “Her ability and impact as a teacher and a leader in our school are overshadowed, however, by her impact as a person. She is just one of those people who goes over and beyond on everything, especially if it benefits our kids.”

Hum was selected out of 26 other PCSSD school-level winners and will now move on to represent the District in the 2022 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Program. In addition to receiving a plaque, each school winner will receive a check for $100. The District winner will receive a check for $500.

PCSSD followed the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and SecondaryEducation (DESE) Teacher of the Year guidelines, including the teacher’s impact on school culture, leadership in and out of the classroom, and student connections.