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Education Students Honored as Among Best in State

This article originally appeared on the IU Kokomo website and is reprinted with permission.

Five Indiana University Kokomo education graduates earned recognition for being among the best new teachers in the state, receiving Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (IACTE) Outstanding Future Educator awards.

Those honored included Autumn Bundy, Sheridan; Cordell Ford, Frankfort; Vicky Mattucci, Gaston; Rachel Moore, Tipton; and Kassie Silvers, Peru.

“It’s nice to be recognized for doing something I love,” Ford said of the award. “It made me feel good that my host teacher suggested I apply. It was a difficult year because of the pandemic, but it all worked out at the end. I love teaching.”

Ford will continue teaching at Frankfort’s Suncrest Elementary School, where he did his student teaching as part of a year-long teacher residency program. In fact, he completed the school year teaching a third-grade class, after the job opened up midway through the spring semester and also taught summer school.

Silvers also participated in the year-long student teaching program, as a math teacher at Maconaquah High School.

“It’s a great honor,” she said. “I worked hard for it, and I feel like I made my professors proud. It was a lot of work to create assignments and lessons plans, and projects and games for the students. I’m glad to take a moment to enjoy the hard work I put into my teaching.”