Jill Siebert
Teacher hits new mark in second year
Staff writer
In her second year as a music teacher, Jill Siebert is already leaving her mark on Hillsboro Elementary School.
She was recognized Tuesday for her work when she was named one of 32 Horizon Award winners in Kansas by state commissioner of education Randy Watson.
“I’m in it to be a better teacher every day,” Siebert said. “These little things are icing on the cake.”
To be eligible for the award, nominees must be in their second year in the field. After the teacher demonstrates teaching excellence the first year, a panel of former honorees selects the new winners.
Nominated in the fall, Siebert and six others — teachers, students, and parents — wrote stories on different topics about what made Siebert an ideal candidate.
“My favorite part of it was reading all the letters from other people,” Siebert said. “That made me feels good. It was nice to see all the little ways I impact them.”
She is the first winner for Hillsboro in principal Evan Yoder’s 28 years as an administrator.
Promoting teaching is something the administration needs to keep emphasizing, Yoder said.
“I feel bad in a way that we haven’t done this before,” Yoder said. “Part of it was — does it add pressure? But we need to do that…we need to be recognizing these educators.”