District Teacher of the Year Candidates; Award Reception April 18
Perry Public Schools is pleased to introduce the 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year finalists. Each of the four school sites has named their building level Teacher of the Year. These four teachers are now in the running for the district-wide Teacher of the Year title. This award is voted on by all certified teachers in the Perry School District.
Building level Teacher of the Year honorees include:
- Lower Elementary: Lacey Carson
- Upper Elementary: Crystal Deken
- Junior High: Shelynn Kelly
- High School: Jessica Hofferber
The District Teacher of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award reception on Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. in the Perry Board of Education meeting room, located inside the former junior high building at 901 Elm Street.
The reception will also include recognition of the outstanding work of Perry Schools support staff. The four school sites have selected an individual from their staff to receive the Support Staff of the Year award.
The 2023-2024 Support Staff of the Year honorees include:
- Lower Elementary: Windy Marston, Paraprofessional
- Upper Elementary: Krystal Nida, Custodian
- Junior High: Angel Moore, Paraprofessional
- High School: Kathi Coker, Custodian
A special congratulations to the aforementioned teachers and support staff members for being selected by their peers for this prestigious honor. Community members, colleagues, family and friends are invited to the award reception on April 18.
Learn more about each of this year’s honorees by reading through their biography below.
Perry Lower Elementary
Lacey Carson
Pre-K Teacher
Lacey Carson grew up in Perry and graduated from Perry High School. She moved to Edmond to attend the University of Central Oklahoma where she graduated and received her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She taught kindergarten in Edmond for five years before moving back to Perry. When Lacey moved back, she started the Mother’s Day Out Program at First Presbyterian Church and taught there for three years. This program is very special to her as it continues to grow and do well. Lacey was hired by Perry Public Schools initially to teach the OPAT (Oklahoma Parents as Teachers). She did this for one year while teaching at the Mother’s Day Out Program. Lacey is finishing her 12th year of teaching Pre-K in Perry. Working with small children has been a part of her life for 20 years.
Lacey’s true love for children began when her sister Lyndee was born. Lacey remembers thinking her baby sister was her “real baby doll.” Lacey loved babysitting for families around town in junior high and high school, and then started working at the Noble County Family YMCA in the daycare room. She always enjoyed helping little kids talk correctly and pronounce words right. She started her career at UCO in Speech Pathology and then changed the degree later to Early Childhood Education.
Lacey says she works with the best people and loves her job at Perry Public Schools. Pre-K is “where it’s at!” The Pre-K team consists of Lacey, Mandi, Lindsey and Cindy. They understand that working with 4 and 5 year olds can be very rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming, taxing, tiring and challenging all at once. Lacey added, “They make it all worth it. The four of us have a well-oiled machine that did not happen overnight. It took time to get organized, and because of this amazing teamwork the children are loved and are learning, which is the goal.”
Lacey is married to Josh Carson. They have two boys; Whelan, a junior in high school and Wyatt, an 8th grader. Both boys are involved in several different sports throughout the year so they keep Josh and Lacey busy. In Lacey’s spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, cheering on the boys during their sporting events, as well as cheering on the OSU Cowboys and the Texas Rangers.
Perry Upper Elementary
Crystal Deken
STEM Teacher
Imagination transforming reality. This has been the inspiration for Mrs. Deken and the new Upper Elementary STEM program. In her 17th year as an educator and only her second with Perry Public Schools, she feels honored to be recognized as the Upper Elementary Teacher of the Year. Previously Mrs. Deken taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade and has been at both large districts and small rural schools. Last year she taught 3rd grade Math and Science and loved it, but with this new STEM position, she feels she can reach more students and foster their love of learning in new ways.
Mrs. Deken graduated from Moore High School in 2001 and Oklahoma State University with a Bachelors in Elementary Education in 2006. She earned a Master of Leadership and Public Administration Degree from MACU in 2011.
Mrs. Deken comes from a long line of educators and always knew deep down she was destined to become a teacher. She enrolled in IT classes in her first semester of college, but they were not the right fit. She soon would take an aptitude test that would confirm her passion, it was to become a teacher. With that confirmation, Mrs. Deken has never looked back. Being a teacher is the most rewarding and hardest job she has ever had.
“These kids rely on you and look up to you to lead by example and show them the way. I feel I must give them my best so they will give me their best,” commented Mrs. Deken. Having a love of learning has helped her grow her educational background to gain knowledge in a variety of areas, which has come in handy for this new STEM position. She loves learning from the kids as much as she likes teaching them! They are amazing and have ideas she never would have thought of most days. She is amazed daily at what they can create and how they can explain how it functions. In her opinion, hands-on learning is the best way to learn. Figuring out how or why something works makes one's brain start to process information in different ways. Mrs. Deken also loves seeing students who normally struggle with academics flourish when presented the opportunity to soar and be proud of something they have accomplished. This is what teaching is all about! The sign outside her classroom door says, “In this class, we don’t do easy. We make easy happen through hard work and learning!”
In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband Dave Deken (PHS ‘96), and their twin daughters, Molly and Savannah who are both in the 3rd grade at Perry Upper Elementary School. Mrs. Deken enjoys audiobooks (multitasking), traveling, and playing with her kids and dogs. They also love spending time at their farm that has been in their family, located just outside of Perry.
Mrs. Deken says, “Perry has become home to us and we love it here. My colleagues have been so welcoming to me and my family, and have fully embraced this new adventure with STEM. I am extremely grateful for each of them!”
Perry Junior High
Shelynn Kelly
Special Education Teacher
Shelynn Kelly is a special education teacher with a passion for making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. With over two decades of teaching experience, Shelynn began her career as a special education teacher in Bristow, Oklahoma, where she taught for several years before joining Perry Public Schools. For the last 19 years, she has been a member of the special education department at Perry Schools, where she currently serves as a special education teacher for the secondary Foundational Learning Program (FLP) catering to 7th-12th grade students.
She took a break from teaching to work as a habilitation specialist for the Cerebral Palsy Association in Rochester, New York. During this time, she gained valuable insights into the needs and challenges faced by individuals with cerebral palsy. She later joined the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education in Stillwater as a disabilities services specialist, where she provided guidance and support to teachers across the state, teaching in vocational education programs. These experiences allowed her to develop a comprehensive understanding of different approaches and strategies to better serve individuals with disabilities.
Shelynn’s academic journey has been instrumental in shaping her career as a special education teacher. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in special education from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration and teamwork in the field of special education, Shelynn acknowledges the invaluable contributions of her dedicated team. She is supported by exceptional paraprofessionals, Kim Spillman, Kristin Gibson, and Angel Moore, who work tirelessly alongside her to ensure the optimal growth and development of each student.
Shelynn's passion for special education is deeply rooted in her own personal journey. As a student with dyslexia, she experienced firsthand the transformative power of special education when she had an exceptional teacher, Dr. Lynn Hodge, who taught her effective accommodations for her learning differences. Inspired by her own experience, Shelynn embarked on a career in special education wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of students with disabilities.
For the past 24 years, Shelynn has been living her dream of working with people who have disabilities. As she looks toward the future, she remains steadfast in her mission to advocate for individuals with disabilities and provide them with the education and support they need to thrive.
Shelynn is married to Kris Bommelje. They have two amazing dogs, Noel and Ember. In Shelynn’s spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking and exploring the many beautiful national parks our country has to offer.
Perry High School
Jessica Hofferber
English II, AP Language, and Mythology
Jessica Hofferber is in her third year of teaching at Perry High School. Her journey at PHS began in 2020 as a student teacher, and she knew right away that this was the team she wanted to join. She currently teaches English II, AP Language, and Mythology. She’s had many of her AP students pass the end-of-year exam, allowing them to receive college credit. She loves teaching this course because it presents a whole new challenge in her classroom, which makes the students’ growth even more rewarding.
Jessica is a member of the Health and Safety Committee at PHS. She has also served as a co-sponsor of the Student Council during this time, where she has assisted in many community and school-wide events such as hosting the 2023 Fall District Conference, Make a Difference (M.A.D.) Week, Pancakes and Pajamas, Winter Formal, and attending State Conferences with her student council members.
Jessica attended Texhoma High School, and graduated with pride from Oklahoma State University in 2021, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education.
She is married to Logan Hofferber and has two precious pups, Ace and Sunny. Logan works with OSU Athletics as the Director of Sales and Fan Relations. She credits her husband’s dedication to his job for allowing her the privilege of attending almost every event, where she does her best to be the loudest fan in the stands.
From discovering her competitive nature by being the first to obtain each Book Buddy single-dip cone in the first grade, to entering writing contests throughout high school, English was always her favorite subject. In seventh grade, she entered the same school building where her stepmom, Breanne, was teaching. She quickly witnessed the major positive influence that a teacher could have on students and the school environment as a whole, and she has strived to reach that influence ever since.
Jessica expressed that she has been blessed by the incredible students she has had the privilege to teach over the past three years. Being able to witness her very first class make their way to graduation this year as the wonderful young adults they’ve become has brought her such clarity that teaching is exactly where she needs to be.
Jessica is deeply honored to be named Teacher of the Year at Perry High School. She says that she would never have been able to make it through the beginning of this journey in education without the most incredible and supportive mentors who reside at Perry High School. They are always there when she is seeking guidance or is just searching for a little extra sunshine on a difficult day. She wants them to know how truly appreciative she is for each of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2023-2024 Support Staff of the Year
Lower Elementary Support Staff of the Year
Windy Marston
Windy Marston has been named the Perry Lower Elementary School Support Staff Person of the Year. She has been a Paraprofessional with Perry Public Schools for the past two and a half years. She says she couldn’t do her job without the support of Ms. Cindy, Pre-K Aide, and the wonderful staff at Perry Elementary. During school days, she enjoys playing a friendly game of “arresting” teachers and staff with her afternoon students to share a laugh and a smile with everyone. She is married to Jared and they have two boys Rueban and Kutter, who are both students at Perry Schools. Outside of school, Windy loves to spend time with her family.
Upper Elementary Support Staff of the Year
Krystal Nida
Krystal Nida has been at Perry Upper Elementary School as a custodian for 15 years. Her twin sister Karen Nida is a 3rd grade teacher at Perry Upper Elementary. She has two nieces, Adyson and Madalye, and a nephew, Nolan who attend Perry Public Schools. After college, she moved back home and began substituting at Perry Schools. While substituting she began her career as a custodian. She says, “I love the atmosphere and working around kids everyday. They’re the reason I love coming to work and I am so thankful to be a part of Perry Public Schools.”
Junior High Support Staff of the Year
Angel Moore
Angel Moore is a 1986 PHS alum with a B.S. from OSU in business. After moving back to Perry in 2008 with her twin sons, Austin and Anthony who graduated from Perry in 2012, she subbed in several of their classes much to their dismay. She was also their Sunday School teacher and Youth Director so there was no escaping mom. Angel started working full time at the old junior high five years ago and then moved over to the high school for three years, now she’s currently at the new junior high school and is loving it. She works as the cashier in the cafeteria for breakfast daily. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Angel assists Ms. Kelly with Speech, Reading, Hygiene, and Sign Language. She has also assisted with student STAR testing. Angel expressed, "It has been a pleasure working alongside some amazing teachers, and staff and we have the "best coaches" at the junior high! I am truly humbled by this honor."
High School Support Staff of the Year
Kathi Coker
Kathi Coker is a first floor custodian at Perry High School. Kathi started working for Perry Public Schools in October of 2010 with Dennis Maine as Maintenance Director. She takes pride in going above and beyond her custodial duties to help out anyone who needs it. She has two sons, Tyson and Brance, both graduates of Perry High School. In her free time, Kathi enjoys anything outdoors and attending high school and BMAC baseball games. Kathi shared that she would like to thank everyone for supporting her.
PPS Support Staff of the Year honorees pictured from left: Krystal Nida, Windy Marston, Angel Moore, and Kathi Coker