Saturday night was an exciting night for two Arkansas City teachers. Deborah Herndon and Cory Epler were selected as regional semi-finalists for the 2006 Kansas Teacher of the Year at a ceremony at the Wichita Marriott.

Herndon, an interrelated teacher at IXL Elementary School, and Epler, an ag-ed teacher at Arkansas City High School, were among the six semi-finalists at the Region IV banquet. USD 470 Arkansas City was the only district at the banquet with two semi-finalists.

“USD 470 takes great pride in having two of its outstanding teachers, Deb Herndon and Cory Epler, named as district semi-finalists for Kansas Teacher of the Year,” Superintendent Dr. Ron Ballard said Monday. “No other district had this distinction of two semi-finalists. It speaks highly of the knowledge, skill, leadership and progressive styles exhibited by both teachers. We are both fortunate and proud to have both teachers as members of the USD 470 faculty.”

In a touching moment, Herndon met up with another nominee for Kansas Teacher of the Year, Diane Lowery from Lincoln Elementary School in Augusta. Lowery was a former student of Herndon’s and cried as she congratulated Herndon on being selected as a semi-finalist.

“I’m so proud of you!” Lowery told Herndon as they hugged.

Herndon and Epler were first selected last spring for the USD 470 Exceptional Educator Awards. The district honored an elementary and secondary teacher with the award. Then both teachers went on to apply for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program.

Twenty-three teachers were recognized at the Region IV banquet. Speakers included Brett Potts, 2005 Kansas Teacher of the Year; Dale Dennis, interim commissioner of education for Kansas; and Dr. Alexa Posney, deputy Kansas commissioner of education of the Division of Learning Services.

As semi-finalists, both Herndon and Epler will be invited to participate in the Kansas Exceptional Educator Network from the Kansas State Department of Education. KEEN offers professional development opportunities for exceptional teachers, along with opportunities for advocacy and committee work.