Four Troy school district teachers were surprised in their classrooms with news that they were the district’s Teachers of the Year.

Staci Vought, a media specialist at Athens was named High School Teacher of the Year and Overall District Teacher of the Year.

She was an English teacher at Athens for seven years before getting her master’s degree in Library Science and becoming the media specialist in 2011.

“She has promoted reading in unique ways, from having students in English classes select books to read and complete reading logs to promoting Battle of the Books, a competition that involves reading from a list of books published that year in various genres,” said colleague Mary Zegers. “Her love for reading and engaging students has helped to increase the number of books checked out from 2,950 in 2011 to 14,190 in the 23-24 school year.”

Jamie Glab, a grade 6-8 special education teacher at Smith, was named Middle School Teacher of the Year.

“Jamie pours her heart and soul into her students,” said Troy High School Assistant Principal Kerry Brennan. “Jamie recognizes that developing emotional intelligence is just as important as academic success, and she stops at nothing to help her students grow into compassionate, well-rounded individuals.”

Nancy Haboush, a reading specialist at Leonard was named Elementary Teacher of the Year.

“The way Nancy greets and engages with children is a testament to how invested she is in the well-being of each student,” colleagues Audrey Asgarally, Lorraine Hogan, and Angela Rota wrote in a letter of support. “Not only does Nancy go above and beyond for our students, but she also provides the same support and dedication to every member of the staff at Leonard Elementary.”

Stephanie Everett, a teacher at district’s preschool was named Preschool Teacher of the Year.

“Ms. Steph has always been so supportive in every way in this journey,” Meghana Nagarsenkar, a preschool parent said. “She is extremely prompt with communicating the child’s progress, concerns, and strategies to support their learning at home.”

As the overall Teacher of the Year, Staci Vought received a $2,000 check from T&I Credit Union.