Gill Selected as 2024 DoDEA Americas Southeast District Teacher of the Year

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) - Americas Southeast District proudly announces that Ms. Kerrie Gill, a sixth-grade teacher at Scott Intermediate School in Fort Knox, Kentucky, has been selected as the 2024 Southeast District Teacher of the Year.

“Ms. Kerrie Gill is an incredibly talented and dedicated educator who is committed to serving our students,” said Americas Southeast District Superintendent Greg Bull. “Having grown up as a military-connected child, she has a unique ability to connect with DoDEA kids and deeply understands the unique challenges that go with being part of a military family.”

Kerrie Gill began her career as an English Language Arts (ELA) teacher in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, where she received the Elizabethtown Independent Schools Excellence in Teaching & Educational Leadership Award and went on to receive a nomination for Kentucky Teacher of the Year.

Joining DoDEA in 2018 as an ELA teacher at Scott Intermediate School, Gill served as the sixth-grade team lead, Continuous School Improvement Chair, and Site Literacy Lead, which allowed her to deliver professional learning on literacy-related concepts and strategies to support school and district goals.

Gill holds a Bachelor of Science in Learning & Behavioral Disorders with an emphasis in Middle Grades English from Eastern Kentucky University, and two Masters of Arts in Education as a Teacher Leader and a Literacy Specialist, both from The University of the Cumberlands.

“As an ‘Army Brat’ and proud DoDEA graduate, I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition,” said Gill. “I spent my entire K-12 schooling in DoDEA, predominately in the Southeast.

“Being able to give back to the community I grew up in and share my love of learning with students today is a privilege. I look forward to working with other teacher leaders across DoDEA to continue fostering a culture where all military-connected students feel celebrated, secure and supported.”

The DoDEA Teacher of the Year Program recognizes and honors exemplary Pre-K through high school teachers. The process begins at the nomination level where teachers may be nominated by peers, administrators, parents, students or community members. Each District Teacher of the Year is selected by a district panel using specified criteria to review District Teacher of the Year applications. Eight teachers will be named District Teacher of the Year for 2024. Each District Teacher of the Year is invited to apply for the DoDEA Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year program, run by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), identifies exceptional teachers nationwide, celebrates their effective work in and outside of the classroom, amplifies their voices and empowers them to take part in policy discussions at the state and national levels.
The year of service for the 2024 District and DoDEA Teachers of the Year will begin on January 1, 2024, and run through December 2024. The selection is made months before the term starts to allow the DoDEA candidate and other candidates from the 50 states and territories time to participate in the National Teacher of the Year program, which selects a finalist in December. The current (2023) DoDEA Teacher of the Year’s term runs through the end of December 2023.