Congratulations to the MSPREPS 2023 MS Rural Teacher of the Year!

The following information was shared with us from our friends at NREA-affiliated Mississippi Rural Education Association (MSPREPS). Each year, the Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools and MSPREPS host an annual Rural Teacher of the Year award, which spotlights one outstanding rural educator from each of Mississippi’s four Congressional Districts. The awardees are featured prominently at MSPREPS’s yearly conference, where the overall state winner is announced.

We are excited to celebrate this year's overall awardee, Kenneth Watson from Lauderdale County School Distict! You can read more about this outstanding educator below. The original article was posted here.

Mr. Kenneth Watson teacher Law and Public Safety at Southeast High School in the Lauderdale County School District. Before starting the Law and pUblic Safety Program at Southeast High School in August 2019, Mr. Watson was a professional firefighter and arson investigator for the Meridian Fire Department. This depth of experience, commitment to service, and love for community fills Mr. Watson's classroom impacts his student' motivation, community engagement, and academic achievement.

Mr. Watson "walks the walk" with his students. He is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Shooting Sports Club, and Skills USA sponsor; leads incorporation of instruction and awareness of human trafficking thorough a pilot program in partnership with the MS Attorney General's Office/Mississippi Bureau of Investigation/ and Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department; is enrolled alongside his student in an Emergency Medical Responder/Emergency Medical Technician Class; and is currently in the process of adopting on of his students.

In the words of Mr. Watson, " I want to be a positive example to our students and inspire them to accomplish the great thing that I know they are capable of."