FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Receives $5,000 cash and podcast feature

Kiersten Wood, a 1st-3rd grade teacher at Henry Miller Elementary School, has been given the prestigious Honored National Teaching Award for April 2025. As part of her honor, she received a $5,000 cash award and was featured on Inspiring Teachers: The Honored Podcast.

To celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, we are honored to share Kiersten’s story and her impact on students with autism and their families. Kiersten has a gift for recognizing the individuality of her students. She creates an empathetic and respectful environment where her students can feel safe to learn and grow.

Kiersten was nominated for the Honored Award by the parents of her student, Payton. The positive impact of Kiersten’s teaching on Payton has been witnessed both inside and outside of the classroom. Anthony, Payton’s father, has seen his son’s remarkable social growth and has built a deeper relationship with him. Through Kiersten’s guidance, Payton’s parents have also gained knowledge about autism, helping them better understand and connect with their son. In Anthony’s words, his “son, Payton, has been non-speaking, and he got to the point where he can communicate so much better in so many other areas.”

Read Kiersten Wood’s full story and impact at https://www.honored.org/honoree/kiersten-wood/.

Honored is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to keeping great teachers in the classroom and inspiring a new generation of talent to pursue teaching. Each month of the school year, Honored shines a spotlight on a teacher who has changed the life of a single student. The Honoree receives a $5,000 cash award, and Honored shares their story on their podcast and social media. Honorees are selected from Pre-K-12 teachers of all subjects at public, private, and charter schools across the country.

For more information about Honored, visit honored.org.  To nominate a teacher, visit honored.org/nominate.  For regular updates on Honored and our monthly Honorees, follow and like us on facebook.com/Honored.org, twitter.com/honored, https://www.tiktok.com/@honoredteachers, and instagram.com/honored. You can also listen to our podcast at https://honored.podbean.com/.

Honored Press Contact

Hannah Bowyer-Rivette

[email protected]

‪540-315-7052‬