Finalist and Semi-Finalists for 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year

On Aug. 29, 2024, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the finalist for the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year award. MNEA member Lauren Hurst is among the seven superb teachers who graduated to the next round. Lauren is a Spanish teacher at Raytown High School.

DESE will announce the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year award winner in the next couple of weeks. The winner, finalists, semi-finalists, and Regional Teachers of the Year will be honored during a recognition event on October 21.

GOOD LUCK, Lauren!!!!

On Aug. 19, 2024, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the semi-finalists for the 2025 Missouri Teacher of the Year award. Sixteen were chosen out of the 34 highly praised teachers selected by each of Missouri's Regional Professional Development Centers (RPDC).

Missouri NEA proudly represents five of the 16 semi-finalists.

• Courtney Duffy, Bayless Elementary School - Mathematics
• Jennifer Kist, Fort Zumwalt Early Childhood Center - Special Education
• Kourtney Michael, Grain Valley High School - English Language Arts
• Lauren Hurst, Raytown High School - Spanish
• Tim Waters, Long Elementary School, Lindbergh - Third Grade