Cooper High School teacher named 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the Year

16-year veteran

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 16, 2017) — Kellie Clark, a 16-year veteran teacher at Randall K. Cooper High School in Boone County, today was named the 2018 Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

Belinda Raye Furman, a second grade teacher at Sherman Elementary in Grant County, was named the 2018 Elementary School Teacher of the Year.

Jennifer Meo-Sexton, a visual arts teacher at Bondurant Middle School in Franklin County, was named the 2018 Middle School Teacher of the Year.

Clark was awarded $10,000 and a commemorative crystal-glass bowl. In addition, the Kentucky Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative for Clark, who also will represent the state in the 2018 National Teacher of the Year competition.

Furman and Meo-Sexton received $3,000 each and a customized, art-glass vase from Valvoline, Inc..

The remaining 21 teachers recognized—seven in elementary, middle and high school—received $500 cash awards.

Teachers of the Year:

• Kellie Clark has spent her career teaching choral music and AP music theory at Cooper High. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Morehead State University and a master’s degree at Ohio’s Miami University in Oxford. She serves as the Creating and Performing Arts team leader for her school and has coached numerous students for participation in honors/all-state choirs; the Governor’s School for the Arts; and for Overture awards. She recently received a C3 Outstanding Educator Award. Her professional affiliations include the Kentucky Music Educators Association; National Association for Music Education; and the American Choral Directors Association.
• Belinda Raye Furman has spent 17 years as an educator teaching second grade students at Sherman Elementary. She earned a bachelor’s at Northern Kentucky University and a master’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University. She has achieved Rank I certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She serves as a District Peer Learning Lab host and as a District ActivBoard trainer. She is a Kentucky Center for Instructional Disciple Core Team member and began a book study group that meets monthly to discuss best practices in math. Her professional affiliations include the Kentucky Reading Association and the Kentucky and National Education Associations.
• Jennifer Meo-Sexton, a 21-year teaching veteran, has taught visual arts to sixth- through eighth-grade students throughout her career. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University. She also achieved National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification. In conjunction with the Ohio Valley Education Cooperative, she hosts a Learning Lab Classroom for the Public Education and Business Coalition. She serves on her school’s Literacy Design Collaborative Team; implements model LDC lessons; and has presented on LDC implementation and lesson design.