May 23, 2022

Dripping Springs ISD announced the district’s 2022 Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year at the May 23 Board of Trustees meeting. The DSISD Elementary Teacher of the Year is Whitnee Dunn, a fifth-grade teacher at Rooster Springs Elementary, and the DSISD Secondary Teacher of the Year is Shanon Montgomery, a seventh-grade English Language Arts teacher at Dripping Springs Middle School. Dunn and Montgomery will now represent DSISD in the 2022 Texas Teacher of the Year program.

Dunn has taught in DSISD for 12 years and is in her 25th year of teaching. She was a teacher in Lake Travis ISD for three years and spent 10 years teaching in Killeen ISD. She is certified in Elementary Reading (1-6), Elementary English (1-6), Elementary Self-Contained (1-6) and English as a Second Language Supplemental (1-6). Ms. Dunn graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in English and Reading.

Montgomery is in her sixth year as a middle school teacher for DSISD, and in her 10th year teaching overall. Prior to her arrival in Dripping Springs, she spent four years teaching in Lewisville ISD. Ms. Montgomery is certified in English Language Arts and Reading (4-8) and English as a Second Language Generalist (4-8). She graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a master’s degree in Elementary Education.

In addition to Dunn and Montgomery, Campus Teachers of the Year were: Diana Ballinger (DSE, first grade), Angie Ellis (WSE, fifth grade), Jason LaMirand (SSMS, sixth grade Science), Lizzy Overby (CSE, PE), Maddie Runyan (SSE, kindergarten), and Kris Vannoy (DSHS, Pre-Calculus/PALS).

Campus Teachers of the Year are selected by their school colleagues; the District Teachers of the Year are chosen following an interview with a selection committee. The Dripping Springs ISD Teacher of the Year program is sponsored by Baylor Scott & White, in conjunction with the Dripping Springs Education Foundation.