Congratulations to Truman State University graduate Chris Holmes who teaches English and journalism at Hazelwood West High School in Hazelwood, Mo., for being selected as the 2014 Missouri Teacher of the Year by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Chris Holmes (’90)Holmes received a bachelor’s in education from Truman in 1990 and has been with the Hazelwood School District for eight years and an educator for 13 years. The Teacher of the Year announcement was made during an all-school assembly. Holmes had no idea he had won the award until it was revealed during the assembly.
Holmes is the Hazelwood School District Teacher of the Year for 2013-2014 and was named the 2009 Educator of the Year by the Governor’s Council on Disability. He was also the recipient of the 2011 Special Ambassador Award by the Special School District of St. Louis County and helped start Project WALK three years ago at West High. The program identifies students at risk of dropping out of school and intervenes to assist students graduate. He will now represent the state of Missouri in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Check out the most recent issue of the Truman Review alumni magazine were Holmes was featured along with several other Truman alumni at
http://trumanreview.truman.edu/article/bridging-the-gap/
Truman alumnus Jeremy Boesch (’97), of Wentzville, Mo., was among the finalists for the 2014 Teacher of the Year award. And Holmes is the second Truman State University alum to be selected for this prestigious award — Jamie (Smith) Manker (’98, ’00) was selected as the Missouri Teacher of the Year for 2013.