Olympia School District names Kimberly Merkley and Devon Alexander Teachers of the Year

The Olympia School District on Feb. 27 honored two educators as its 2024–25 Teachers of the Year: Kimberly Merkley, an orchestra teacher who serves six district schools, and Devon Alexander, a reading specialist at LP Brown Elementary who led districtwide adoption of a systematic decoding program.

Anthony Brock, principal at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, introduced Kimberly Merkley and said she “navigates her complex role at six schools with grace” and has “created a legacy of musical achievement.” Student Cora LaRock, a Thurgood Marshall student who has studied orchestra with Merkley since fourth grade, told the board, “She is one of the kindest teachers, and I'm lucky I've been with her in orchestra all these years.”

Merkley, accepting recognition, thanked administrators, parents and students and said, “I love my students and, you know, they bring me joy every day.” Board members and audience members learned Merkley routinely coordinates concerts across McLean, Hanson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Madison elementary schools and uses resources such as the district activity bus to support student participation in rehearsals and performances.

Sean Shaughnessy, principal at LP Brown Elementary, introduced Devon Alexander and credited her with identifying a gap in early reading instruction two years ago. Shaughnessy said Alexander researched the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) decoding and phonemic-awareness program, trained staff, prepared materials and helped pilot the program with the district’s teaching and learning department.

Devon Alexander said she chose the program after seeing an instructional gap and emphasized evidence-based practice. “If we follow the research and the evidence-based protocols for teaching kids, we can we can get all kids to learn how to read,” Alexander told the board, describing her work training colleagues and creating asynchronous modules to support continuing implementation.

Shaughnessy said the UFLI curriculum is now being used in nearly every primary classroom in the district; Alexander and other intervention staff continue to provide coaching and support. The board recognized both teachers in a public ceremony before the regular meeting, and no formal board action was required to confer the honors.

The district’s recognition program solicited nominations and used a screening committee to evaluate candidates against district values including community respect, instructional knowledge, collaboration, innovation and communication. The awards highlight classroom leadership in music instruction and elementary reading interventions that district leaders said have been adopted beyond individual schools.