Round Rock High School teacher Victoria “Tori” Sanders was named the Region 13 Secondary Teacher of the Year at an event in Georgetown today, honoring Teachers of the Year from the more than 50 school districts in the Central Texas/Region 13 area.
Sanders, an English teacher, was named Round Rock ISD’s Secondary Teacher of the Year in May. She was selected among 18 Round Rock ISD secondary educators to represent the district at this regional competition. As Region 13 Secondary Teacher of the Year, she will now compete for the title of the Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year among 20 other state finalists.
The current Texas Teacher of the Year is another Round Rock ISD educator, Chris Mihealsick, who teaches science at Westwood High School.
The announcement came as a surprise to Sanders. During her acceptance speech, Sanders mentioned the important role teachers play in students' lives.
"I am greatly humbled by this. I'm still in shock over being the district's teacher of the year,” Sanders said. “Everything we do is for our kids. We're going to look at the names on our rosters and plan for our year, and then we're going to shine bright for those kids.”
Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez was among those who helped celebrate Sanders at the luncheon.
“This honor is well-earned and well-deserved,” Azaiez said. “Ms. Sanders is an exceptional educator who cares deeply about her students. She's an exemplar of what all of our teachers do every day, and she represents our district and the quality educators guiding our students.”
Next, Sanders will be considered for Teacher of the Year at the state level, along with 40 other Regional Teachers of the Year. The Texas Association of School Administrators will have a panel of judges meet in August to narrow the pool of applicants down to six finalists, three elementary and three secondary.
Sanders concluded her speech with encouragement for her fellow educators.
“We have the best job in the world,” she said. “There is a kid out there who is excited to see your name on their class list—think about that. It's going to be an amazing year, and I know we can do this together."