In April 2023, the Renwick School District released its teacher of the year awards. Kim Lies and Kirsten Meiries were the winners of this award. 

Mrs. Meiries has been teaching for 19 years. Her teaching career began at Wichita East High School. She started teaching math due to her love of the subject and for kids. One thing she tries to do differently in her classroom is let her kids know that they can succeed. With all that being said, Mrs. Meiries continues to plan on teaching “as long as possible”. When I asked Mrs. Shackelford one thing that stood out the most about Meireis, she said, “She is very dedicated in everything she does and cares about all of her students.”

Mrs. Lies has been teaching for 20 years. She first started teaching at a Catholic school, then eventually ended up coming to Andale. She was inspired to become a teacher because of her second grade teacher, Alice Spexarth. One thing she tries to do differently in her classroom is write and make sure her kids know the curriculum. She plans on teaching for “at least another 20 years”. When I asked Mr. Hatfield, “What’s one thing that stood out the most about Mrs. Lies?” he said, “Dedicated and passionate are two words that come to mind with Ms. Lies. She loves her job and her students, and she is dedicated to making sure each and every one of them learns to their highest abilities.