Kylie Altier, a first-grade teacher at Nacogdoches ISD’s Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary, was named Wednesday as the Region 7 Elementary Teacher of the Year during a ceremony held at the Education Service Center in Kilgore.
Altier received a new Honda Accord that was donated to Region 7 by Jack O’Diamonds Honda-Lincoln auto dealership located in Tyler. She will now be entered into the state competition where judging will begin this month.
“What a marvelous way to get ready for the start of a new school year,” NISD Interim Superintendent Alton Frailey said. “Kylie’s efforts in the classroom are indicative of what takes place all around Nacogdoches ISD. I’m immensely proud of her and Jody and how they represent the district.”
Also on hand, Wednesday with Altier was Jody Franks, an eighth-grade teacher at Mike Moses Middle School. Franks is NISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year for 2018, and she was introduced during Wednesday’s luncheon.
Altier is starting her third year at BQJ and her fifth overall as a teacher. The Florida State University grad came to Nacogdoches in 2016 after teaching first-grade in Alabama.
Altier pursued an accelerated course of study at Florida State and was leading her own classroom of first-graders by age 20.
Altier is a first-grade team leader at BQJ and is leading the way on the school’s outdoor classroom and garden project. Earlier this year, BQJ was a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant recipient.
“This is a wonderful honor for Kylie, and I could not be more proud of what she’s accomplished,” said BQJ principal Tom Miller. “Kylie simply loves her students; there’s no better way to put it. She goes to great lengths to make sure they’re included in each and every lesson.”