2024 Teacher Achievement Award Winners

Amber Dwyer, Alvaton Elementary School (Warren County)​

​Amber Dwyer is a 3rd-grade teacher at Alvaton Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from Western Kentucky University. 

Dwyer dreamed of becoming an elementary teacher since her first day of kindergarten. Her passion for learning and her dream of teaching never wavered. In 2003, Dwyer became the first member of her family to graduate from college. She currently serves as a sponsor of Alvaton Elementary’s BETA club, Academic Team and Leading Ladies Club. Dwyer also serves as a new teacher mentor, a 3rd-grade team leader and is a member of the Alvaton Elementary Advisory Council.​

Deanna Landrum, Southgate Public School (Southgate Independent)​

​Deanna Landrum is the K-8 library media specialist and Google support specialist

at Southgate Public School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science and a master’s degree in teaching with certification in middle grades social studies from Northern Kentucky University. She also has a master’s degree in libraries, informatics and technology in education from Western Kentucky University. 

Landrum received the Staff Member of the Month Award from Southgate in May 2022. She also applied on behalf of the school for the Kentucky Society for Technology in Education Outreach Grant to expand technology curriculum in the district, which the school received. For her service to the technology department during the pandemic, Landrum was a 2020-2022 Stilwell Award recipient.

Brittany Ritter, Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School (Jefferson County)

​Brittany Ritter, a kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School, currently teaches all core content subject areas: reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. She said she wants her students and families to feel that they are an irreplaceable part of her classroom family and empowered to reach individual goals. 

Ritter holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Georgetown College and a master’s in education from the University of the Cumberlands. She was awarded the Hilliard Lyons Excellence Award for Outstanding Teacher Performance and her school’s esteemed Sunshine Award, given to one educator each year who spreads joy to others. Ritter also holds leadership positions at her school, including serving numerous years as team leader for her kindergarten team and as co-chair of the school Social Committee and Fund For the Arts Fundraising Committee.

Sally Pollett Zaring, Painted Stone Elementary School (Shelby County)​

​Sally Pollett Zaring, a kindergarten teacher at Painted Stone Elementary School, has spent more than 20 years teaching in her hometown of Shelbyville. While earning degrees from the College of Charleston (bachelor’s degree in elementary education), Vanderbilt University (master’s degree in elementary education with an emphasis in math) and the University of Louisville (rank I in instruction and administration), she has developed a passion for early numeracy and literacy. ​

Recently, Zaring has been a part of meaningful work with the Coalition to Sustain the Education Profession. She has developed many community partnerships to help pursue an agriculture-education focus for her school to make agricultural and environmental experiences available for her students, including building an outdoor classroom, vegetable garden, butterfly garden and apiary (beehive yard).

​Sara Beth Boggs, Frankfort High School (Frankfort Independent)​

Sara Beth Boggs teaches English and serves as an instructional coach at Frankfort High School. Boggs received her bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from Ohio Northern University and a master’s in education as a teacher leader with a literacy specialist endorsement from Georgetown College. 

Boggs, part of a military family, has spent the last 22 years teaching English in classrooms across the country. At Frankfort High School, she serves as the PEP Club sponsor, 10th-grade class sponsor and Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle coach. She holds seats on the district Instructional Team, Intervention Team, UK Next Gen Profile of a Graduate Advisory Council, leads as a department chair and has represented her high school on a Superintendent Search Committee.

​Luke Glaser, Hazard High School (Hazard Independent)​

​Kumar Rashad, Breckinridge Metropolitan High School (Jefferson County)​

Kumar Rashad has been a public high school math teacher for more than 18 years. He currently teaches math topics and a course entitled “Developing Black Historical Conscience” at Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, an alternative high school. Rashad earned a bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics from Kentucky State University and a master’s in teaching in secondary mathematics education from the University of Louisville.

Rashad serves on his school district’s Advisory Council for Racial Equity, which is a district committee that reviews district policies under a racial justice lens. He also is the advisor to the Men of Quality Youth Mentoring Program for at-risk youth.

Kimberly McClellan White, Muhlenberg County High School (Muhlenberg County)​

A 24-year teaching veteran, Kimberly White has spent two decades as an art and design instructor at Muhlenberg County High School. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Western Kentucky University, where she also participated in management training at Disney University. She also has written several art and technology grants for Muhlenberg County. 

In 2019, White received a 1st place National American Heritage Award for craft from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In addition, she received national attention when Scholastic Art and Writing presented her with two Teacher Gold Medals for mentoring students in the arts. White recently has worked as a mentor for Western Kentucky University's New Teacher Academy, mentoring future art educators. Her professional affiliations include the Muhlenberg County Education Association, National Education Associations, Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators, Elizabeth Campbell Russell Chapter of Kentucky Daughters of the American Revolution and the Disney Alumni Association.