William Wehrs, Seaman High School Social Studies Teacher, was named a 2023 Kansas Horizon Award recipient for his outstanding teaching skills as a first-year teacher.
Mr. Wehrs is in his second year at Seaman High School. “We are so happy to have Mr. Wehrs on our team at Seaman High School,” said Principal Dr. Lyons. “Mr. Wehrs is truly dedicated to the teaching profession and the success of our students.”
The Kansas Horizon Award program is sponsored by KSDE. To be eligible for the award, teachers must have successfully completed their first year of teaching and have performed in such a way as to distinguish themselves as outstanding.
As a recipient of the Kansas Horizon Award, Mr. Wehrs will be invited to join the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN), a network of educators from around the state who have been formally recognized for exemplary performance. Members of KEEN have an opportunity to network with other outstanding educators and participate in several professional development programs throughout the year. “To be part of the network is a tremendous honor,” said Wehrs. “Their goals of seeking to improve schools, student performance, and helping with the teaching education profession perfectly connect with my own. I have always wanted to help people, and make their lives better, and it seems as if this network strives to do that as well. As teachers, we must always work to elevate those around us, and I cannot wait to do that through collaboration with them.”
Wehrs is one of 32 teachers to receive this recognition across the state. “I would like to give thanks to all colleagues and administrators for their constant support,” said Wehrs. “A special thanks to Dr. Lyons, Mr. Brown, and Ms. Sittenaurer who were all present at my interview, and who took a chance hiring a young person who had never taught before. I do not ever take that, and all the assistance they have since offered, for granted.
“I feel as if I am living a dream come true. It is a cliche to say that one should get a job that does not feel like a job, but perhaps something becomes a cliche because there is so much validity to it, and that is definitely the case here. I never feel as if I have a job as a teacher here at Seaman, rather I feel as if I have been privileged to be given such a wonderful opportunity. Every day is a new experience, and a new source of poignant memories. These words by the wonderful Alan Bennett encapsulate how I feel every day as a teacher, ‘Pass the parcel. That's sometimes all you can do. Take it, feel it, and pass it on. Not for me, not for you, but for someone, somewhere, one day. Pass it on. That's the game I want you to learn. Pass it on.”