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Elko County School District honors top-ranked graduates and names Teacher of the Year and two STEM teachers
Summary
The Elko County School District recognized the seven top-ranked graduates from its high schools and presented district awards to Teacher of the Year Amy Hunsaker and STEM Teachers of the Year including Katie Hammer.
The Elko County School District Board of Trustees recognized the district’s seven top-ranked graduates for the Class of 2025 and presented its Teacher of the Year and two STEM Teacher of the Year awards during the board meeting.
The recognitions drew students, staff and family members. “I’m gonna take a gap year this year to join the National Guard, and that’s gonna help me pay for college at the University of Nevada, Reno,” said Truman Kington, the top-ranked graduate at Wells High School, after accepting his certificate. Spring Creek High School’s top-ranked student, Addison Shank, told the board she plans to attend Brigham Young University in Provo to study molecular biology and physiology.
The district also named Amy Hunsaker as the Elko County School District Teacher of the Year and Katie Hammer as one of two Nevada Gold Mines–sponsored STEM Teachers of the Year. Superintendent Jeff Anderson read excerpts from nominations praising Hunsaker’s role in student leadership, community-building and teaching: she “goes far beyond what is expected” and “fosters a sense of community and kindness.” Anderson described Hammer’s work as a media specialist and former special-education teacher, citing her classroom transformations, work with the robotics team and contributions to a Science of Reading curriculum.
Why this matters: the recognitions highlight individual student achievement and district efforts to acknowledge instructional staff who received district- and industry-sponsored awards. Trustees paused briefly during the meeting to hear a few students describe their immediate plans and to formally present certificates to the educators.
Details and background: the board acknowledged seven top-ranked students representing the district’s seven high schools: Truman Kington (Wells High School); Addison Shank (Spring Creek High School); Landon Maffo (Carlin High School); Adrianna Amaya (Elko High School); Samantha Lampo (Jackpot High School); Noah Johnson (Owyhee High School); and Karina Klein Schmidt (West Wendover High School). Two of the honored teachers attended the meeting; a third teacher will be recognized at a later date. The Nevada Gold Mines sponsorship supports two STEM awards in addition to the district Teacher of the Year award.
The board did not take a formal vote associated with the recognitions. The meeting continued on to other agenda items after the presentations.
