TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Marianne Ward is in her 30th year of teaching in public schools; 15 of them with Perry Public Schools.

Mrs. Ward is a graduate of Missouri Western State College where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She also has her Early Childhood Degree.  Mrs. Ward has taught Pre-K, kindergarten, and 1st grade.  She is currently teaching 1st grade. Prior to Perry, she taught in Missouri before the family moved to Oklahoma and also taught at Dover where she was awarded Teacher of the Year.

You might say teaching is in her blood. Both her parents and two of her grandparents were teachers or administrators. She also has a sister that was a teacher. Mrs. Ward knew from an early age she wanted to be a teacher.  She learned a lot from not only her parents, but by having great mentors along the way.

Mrs. Ward said, “I have loved teaching and helping to touch the lives of so many. No one is allowed to say ‘can’t’ in my room.  They can say I don’t understand or I need help, but they can never give up or not try their best.”  She feels a sense of pride when her former students come back to give her a hug and say hello.

Mrs. Ward is married to Kirk Ward and they have four grown children and eight grandchildren. They keep very busy going to all of their grandkids' different events.  

Mrs. Ward says she is deeply honored to be nominated as Teacher of the Year.  She attributes a great deal of her success to the support and teamwork of the amazing teachers and administrators with whom she has worked with over the last 30 years.  

Caprecia Betchan is currently in her 19th year of teaching 5th grade at Perry Upper Elementary.  She began her teaching career in 5th grade Language Arts in 2004 and is now currently teaching 5th grade Reading and Social Studies.

Mrs. Betchan is a graduate of Perkins-Tryon High School and an Alumni of  Oklahoma State University, where she earned a degree in Elementary Education in 1995.  She has taught her entire teaching career in the 5th grade.

From an early age she always knew she wanted to be either a teacher or a storm chaser. She thinks teaching is the most amazing job, and of course, as all teachers know,  there are days with a little “storm chasing" involved!

Mrs. Betchan says, “Being a teacher can be very challenging, but it is so deeply rewarding. It is way more than just teaching reading or social studies. It’s the personal relationships that are made with her students that make teaching the most amazing job ever!”

Mrs. Betchan has planned and organized the “Star Tree” for the last several years, alongside her amazing coworkers. With the support of the Noble County community the “Star Tree" has been a huge success in providing the wants and needs each Christmas for children in foster care.  She takes pride in being part of an organization that puts a smile on the faces of so many children each year.

Mrs. Betchan is married to Tom Betchan and they live on a farm west of Perry. She has two children, Dillon Buck and Olivia Yunker, and two “bonus” sons Riley and Cale Betchan, all who are graduates of Perry High School.  Her pride and joy are her two yorkies, Murphey and Willie. 

Mrs. Betchan says she is very honored to have been nominated for Teacher of the Year.

Dana Scherman is currently teaching 8th grade Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 at Perry Junior High. She began her teaching career at Perry in 1990. She taught at the junior high and middle school until she took a break from 1995 until 2007 to raise her boys, but still tutored from home.

From 2007 to 2014, Mrs. Scherman taught Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and AP Calculus at Perry High School. She continued her career at Frontier Public School from 2014 to 2022 before returning this year to Perry.

Mrs. Scherman is a 1985 graduate of Frederick High School and a 1990 graduate of Oklahoma State University where she was named among the College of Education Top Ten and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary Education and Bachelors of Science degree in Mathematics. 

During her teaching career, Mrs. Scherman has had the privilege of teaching almost every math class offered from 6th grade thru high school, including advising the college concurrent classes while at Frontier. She was selected as a Perry Teacher of the Year finalist in 1995 and 2011, and was honored as Perry’s Teacher of the Year in 2012. In 2016, she was named Frontier’s Teacher of the Year. She received the High School Educator Merit Award at the POE Excellence in Education banquet and won the Perry Daily Journal’s “Educator Appreciation Contest” for the Frontier School District in 2019, and was named the 2021 Frontier High School Teacher of the Year. She commented, “The support of my family, collaboration with co-workers and administrators, cooperation of parents and community, as well as the encouragement of past and present students, is what has enabled me to be where I am today.”

According to Mrs. Scherman, her greatest achievement is seeing what so many of her students have become and seeing or hearing from them. She only played a small part in their lives, but once a student of hers, each of them will always be one of her kids. Education has changed a lot since 1990; however, Mrs. Scherman still hopes to reach each student who walks through her door whether it is with math knowledge or just the knowledge that she cares for them. Students are more than a number or a test score; they are individuals trying to find their purpose. Mrs. Scherman knows that math isn’t every student’s favorite subject, but maybe she can change their mind just a little. Teaching requires a lot of time preparing both inside and outside of school hours; but, what other job allows you to share knowledge while you sing, dance, play games, and hopefully make a difference in today’s students and tomorrow’s future.

Mrs. Scherman and her husband Tracy have been part of the Perry community since 1990. They are the proud parents of three young men: Denton, an Edmond police officer; Dylan, a lieutenant for the Perry Fire Department; and Ty, a field producer/social media correspondent for BuckVentures (a faith-based hunting tv show) on the Outdoor Channel.

 

 

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