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Independence, MO —
Unlike many teachers, Donna Terrill did not start off immediately wanting to go into education.
“I was a summer camp counselor,” said the art teacher at Fort Osage High School. “I went into college and after a couple of years, my counselor sent me to the art department because he knew I would enjoy that. I fell in love with art right away. I loved working with the kids during the summers, so that transpired into this teaching career.”
Terrill was named the 2012 Fort Osage School District Teacher of the Year Monday, during the district’s annual staff recognition event. As Teacher of the Year, she will be eligible to compete in the Missouri State Teacher of the Year program. After completing an application and interview, the finalists are named this summer. The winner is announced in the fall.
“I was very shocked when I heard my name,” Terrill said shortly after receiving the award. “I was up against some great candidates who have given many more years than I have. This is a definite honor.”
Terrill has been teaching for 29 years, 25 of which have been in the Fort Osage School District. A graduate of Fort Osage High School, she said it was always her goal to return to the district to teach and raise her own family.
“I taught in the Lexington School District for four years, and I think I called here (Fort Osage) asking if there was a job opening,” she said. “I liked the district, and it is where I wanted to return. Both of my children graduated from Fort Osage and one even met their spouse here. You could say that it (Fort Osage) is in our family.”
Before landing at the high school, Terrill taught art at all of the elementary schools, with the exception of Indian Trails. She said she feels like she is more than just a teacher in the classroom. She said she is also a psychologist and sometimes a mother, always helping students through life.
“I am not just here to be an art teacher,” she said. “Sure I want to teach them to appreciate art, but I also want to give them insight to other things about life. I want to be available in whatever aspect they need me to be and, hopefully, they will remember that and carry that with them.”
Terrill said she has stayed in Fort Osage for so many years because it feels “like a family.” She said the district has a wonderful staff and a great group of students, which makes it an exciting place to come and teach.
Unlike many teachers, Donna Terrill did not start off immediately wanting to go into education.
“I was a summer camp counselor,” said the art teacher at Fort Osage High School. “I went into college and after a couple of years, my counselor sent me to the art department because he knew I would enjoy that. I fell in love with art right away. I loved working with the kids during the summers, so that transpired into this teaching career.”
Terrill was named the 2012 Fort Osage School District Teacher of the Year Monday, during the district’s annual staff recognition event. As Teacher of the Year, she will be eligible to compete in the Missouri State Teacher of the Year program. After completing an application and interview, the finalists are named this summer. The winner is announced in the fall.
“I was very shocked when I heard my name,” Terrill said shortly after receiving the award. “I was up against some great candidates who have given many more years than I have. This is a definite honor.”
Terrill has been teaching for 29 years, 25 of which have been in the Fort Osage School District. A graduate of Fort Osage High School, she said it was always her goal to return to the district to teach and raise her own family.
“I taught in the Lexington School District for four years, and I think I called here (Fort Osage) asking if there was a job opening,” she said. “I liked the district, and it is where I wanted to return. Both of my children graduated from Fort Osage and one even met their spouse here. You could say that it (Fort Osage) is in our family.”
Before landing at the high school, Terrill taught art at all of the elementary schools, with the exception of Indian Trails. She said she feels like she is more than just a teacher in the classroom. She said she is also a psychologist and sometimes a mother, always helping students through life.
“I am not just here to be an art teacher,” she said. “Sure I want to teach them to appreciate art, but I also want to give them insight to other things about life. I want to be available in whatever aspect they need me to be and, hopefully, they will remember that and carry that with them.”
Terrill said she has stayed in Fort Osage for so many years because it feels “like a family.” She said the district has a wonderful staff and a great group of students, which makes it an exciting place to come and teach.
“I think what I love most about teaching is that I get to touch a child’s life each and every day,” she said. “You never know how important you will be to someone when you wake up in the morning. That is what makes it the most rewarding profession there is.”
Other nominees for the Fort Osage School District teacher of the Year were Linda Cox, Blue Hills; Allison Nichols, Buckner; Mark Murphy, Cler-Mont; Amy Miller, Elm Grove; Alissa Neidlinger, Indian Trails; Kathy Campbell, Fire Prairie; Lori Benson, Osage Trail and Jake Fowler, the Career and Technology Center.
