Katherine Reighter named South Bend Community School Corporation 2024 Teacher of the Year
Katherine Reighter named South Bend Community School Corporation
2024 Teacher of the Year
SOUTH BEND, Ind.— Katherine Reighter, a fourth-grade teacher at Marshall Traditional School, has been recognized as the 2024 Teacher of the Year for the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC). Emily Dobson, a lower elementary teacher at Marquette Montessori Academy, was named the district's runner-up.
On Thursday night, the district's top administrators, including Superintendent Dr. Todd Cummings, Interim Deputy Superintendent Sarita Stevens, and South Bend Empowerment Zone Chief Dr. Davion Lewis along with the Board of School Trustees, gathered at the Adams High School auditorium to honor the 30 nominees from across the district. The nominees were chosen by peers from their respective SBCSC schools, designating them as the Teacher of the Year for their school.
An "honors group" of 10 was selected from 30 nominees by a group of evaluators, including the runner-up and overall winner. This group of evaluators consisted of retired and current teachers.
As the SBCSC Teacher of the Year, Reighter will receive a $2,500 Professional Growth Grant from the South Bend Education Foundation. Additionally, Reighter will represent the South Bend Community School Corporation as a 2023-24 Indiana Teacher of the Year candidate at the state level.
"Katherine is a dedicated and passionate teacher who truly deserves this recognition," said Cummings. "We congratulate all the nominees and winners of this year's Teacher of the Year awards for their commitment to education."
Katherine (Katie) Reighter comes from a family of educators and earned her Elementary Education degree in 2005 from Indiana University of South Bend. During her senior year at Riley High School, she was awarded the Project T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship and, in third grade, was voted “Most Likely to Become a Teacher” by her peers. After graduation, she pursued positions in instructional, graphic, and interior design, acquiring skills that have since proven highly advantageous in her classroom. In 2021, she returned to teaching as a kindergarten aide at Marshall Traditional, where she and her children were also students. In 2022, she assumed the role of a fourth-grade teacher at the same institution. Katherine is proud to be associated with the Marshall Hornets and feels honored to represent the school as Teacher of the Year this year.