Texarkana Independent School District has named Christy McCarter as Elementary Teacher of the Year and Kara Wicks as Secondary Teacher of the Year. Both have moved forward for consideration as Region VIII Teacher of the Year.
McCarter, who has 20 years in education, serves as a Fifth Grade English Language Arts & Reading Teacher at Spring Lake Park Elementary School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. McCarter has completed the TISD Leadership Academy program and has served as a Team Leader and member of the Academic Lighthouse Team at her school.
She is a devoted educator focused on the academic, social and emotional growth of her students. McCarter believes that student success is based upon fostering meaningful relationships and holding herself and her students to high expectations. Additionally, she feels that loving her students first provides the foundation for trust, engagement and hard work throughout the academic year and beyond.
Kara Wicks, TISD Secondary Teacher of the Year, is an English, Latin and College Prep Teacher at Texas High School who has been in the field of education for 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in English and a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Wicks has led Professional Development workshops for the district, completed the Chrome Cart Academy and served as a Grade Level PLC Leader and a Curriculum Development consultant.
She has a passion for connecting content and student voice. For Wicks, learning begins in the spaces where we intersect with the world around us. A flawed or underdeveloped sense of who we are clouds our perspective. Contemplative reading and writing opens lines of communication that feeds learning. We learn best when we interact with community, and we interact best when we know who we are. Giving students a safe place and assigning a value to that process defines Wicks as a teacher.
