It is no secret that Osborn employs outstanding, highly-qualified teachers. Visit any school in the district, and you will find teachers engaging students with rigorous content from drop-off to dismissal. This tradition of challenging and inspiring students toward academic excellence is exemplified by this year’s trio of Teachers of the Year.

Every fall, the Osborn School District Educational Foundation (OSDEF) honors three teachers who have demonstrated absolute mastery of their craft. The 2022 Honorees are 4th Grade Dual-Language Spanish Teacher Ann Aken, 5^th Grade Dual-Language English Teacher Kayce Kahl, and Dual-Language veteran and Kindergarten Teacher Guillermina Valles.

The careers of these three women span every level from kindergarten to sixth grade, welcome rooms, library, instructional coaching, and Structured English Immersion (SEI) classes. Each expressing the myriad benefits gained by students in multilingual classrooms, these veteran teachers have been instrumental in the development and continued success of Osborn's override-supported dual-language program. Throughout the year, students participating in the program learn that bilingualism opens doors to friendship and connection with a wider variety of people while paving the way toward expanded employment opportunities and broader understanding of this diverse world.

This emphasis on connection and relationships has been fundamental not only to the success of these teachers but also to their students. Crediting the Osborn community, both inside and outside the schools, they agreed that it is the district’s positive and collaborative environment that has propelled them to their current height of performance.

The joy, growth, and relationships that Ann, Kayce, and Guillermina have brought to Osborn are undeniable and why they are this year’s OSDEF Teachers of the Year!