American Fidelity and Today’s Magic 104.1 want to recognize the many outstanding teachers throughout the metro that go above and beyond
to educate Oklahoma’s fine students.
The winning teacher will receive $250 from American Fidelity!
Nominate a teacher today!
Our latest Teacher of the Month Winner!
Mrs. Rhonda Murillo of Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
“Mrs. Murillo is an ELA (English & Language Arts) teacher of the 7th graders at Jefferson Middle School. She has been dedicated to teaching students for nearly 18 years at various schools. Mrs. Murillo is special because she genuiniely loves, and cares for her students. She is the kind of teacher who notices a student is having a rough day, and pulls them aside to see what she can do to make them feel better. She truly goes above and beyond to make sure everyone knows they are accepted and they belong. Mrs. Murillo is always professional yet so loving and determined to make a difference in their lives. You can be sure that when your child is in her classroom, they are valued and treated with respect. She always takes the time to make sure her students are caught up, and on the same page so no one ever feels neglected or left behind. In her eyes every student has a purpose for being here and she is determined to help them flourish in school. She helps cultivate hearts of leadership and courage. It takes just a few minutes of speaking with her to know she is truly different. Students stay connected with her long after their time in her classroom because she makes such an impact on their lives. Mrs. Murillo buys her kids snacks to ensure no one ever goes hungry in her presence. She loves these kids as if they are her own. She opens her room during her lunch just in case someone needs to come in and talk about something. All- around she is the epitome of a great teacher. She is worthy of all good things! I truly hope you consider her for this award!” – Brittany M
Ms. Candy Rasure of South Rock Creek School.
“Ms. Candy Rasure is a phenomenal elementary school teacher that has given so much to her community, her students and her school that I can not possibly place into words all that she has done to help others. From the time she had walked through the doors of South Rock Creek Elementary School in Shawnee, OK over 20 years ago she was a leader! From engaging her students to read by building with her dad a tree house just perfect for her classroom, to hosting school dances, to volunteering to put together the yearly school yearbook all the way to creating a platform for the school community to be involved in the annual Relay for Life. There is almost nothing that she hasn’t done for the school always filling the void when she saw a need! When it was requested to keep the books for basketball season…she absolutely said she would do it! In addition, she even drove the bus for the teams! She was the one with the big ideas and the energy to do it ALL. Now, we are standing behind Candy Rasure as she fights her own battle with Cancer! Even though she learned of her diagnosis right before the holidays, she made sure that her students were prepared by getting all of planning before her first round of chemo treatments. The night before her first week of treatments she was at the school at 8pm working so that her kids would have a wonderful week. The wonderful thing is that her chemo treatments are working on the very aggressive cancer that she has fought since November. She is on her last round of chemo treatments this week and awaits surgery. Her students absolutely the one thing that she wakes up every morning for second to Jesus Christ and her own family. Current Students, Former students and her collegues would all agree that she is one of a kind! She is one of the most dedicated, devoted and loving individual that has walked the halls of South Rock Creek.” – Melissa Mahaffey
Danny Moreaux of Del City High School.
“Danny Moreaux is the Naval Science Teacher for the Navy Junior ROTC Program. At Del City High School.There are 100 students enrolled in his program. Background Senior Chief Moreaux is a 22 year retired Navy Combat Veteran. During his career he was in Military Law Enforcement. While most Military Policemen go into local and federal law enforcement Senior Chief chose education because he wanted to “make a difference in a kids life. “ Well he has made a difference in many kids lives. It is amazing to watch the direct impact and influence he has on so many kids. It is very common to see kids leave handwritten notes of appreciation and gratitude on his desk. One recent note said” I don’t know where I would be if you were not in my life”. Senior Chief hears that comment time and time again. Many of our kids are” at risk” and Senior Chief spends considerable time , effort and yes even money to help these kids see their potential. And Senior Chief is also a talented athlete and has been assistant coaching the Del City Varsity Boys Basketball team. And again he comes in early and on weekends , stays late so that kids can get extra practice, he picks them up from home as many do not have rides. Senior Chief applies his military values of honor, courage and commitment to everything he does.His professionalism and leadership is felt in every corner of this school. He has impeccable character and a relentless determination to make a kids dream come true. There are so many examples everyday where Senior Chief Danny Moreaux’s advice and counsel changes the course of a kid’s life. Often it is providing a sounding board or a shoulder for a struggling student. Very common for Danny to get calls in the middle of the night from a student or parent just wanting to talk or get something off their chest. I was a 30 year Navy Pilot and I have been teaching for 21 years. I will tell you that I have served alongside some great professionals and leaders who truly care with an uncommon compassion, selfless service and an unbridled pursuit of excellence ; all perfectly reflected and expressed in the success and happiness of those they serve. Senior Chief Danny Moreau is among the top of a distinguished list. Senior Chief Danny Moreaux is the ultimate teacher- a classroom teacher- an athletic coach- and a mentor for life. And is clearly deserving of your selection as the KMGL 104.1 Teacher of the Month.” – John Keilty
Mrs. Melissa Seiger of Yukon High School.
“Hello, I wanted to reach out and ask if you could recognize one of my favorite teachers Melissa Seiger or more commonly known as Mrs seiger. She is an amazing person as she is always looking out for her students and always finding new fun and exciting things to do. She teaches multiple classes including basic life skills like culinary, nutrition and wellness, and even Family and Career Sciences basics. Not only does she do this but she also is an FCCLA (family, career, community, leaders of America) advisor and does stuff like take students to volunteer at places, take us to leadership conferences, and even takes us to go do fun stuff like go for the weekend at the Skirvin and then go to frontier city. She goes above and beyond and isn’t recognized as much as she should be. If it wasn’t for her I would not be where I am today. She is an amazing person and an even greater teacher and advisor.” – Emily Stokes
Ms. Elizabeth Justice of Oklahoma City Public Schools E3 Program .
“My twins, Deja and Nyasiah have been having a really hard time this year, they struggle with depression and anxiety and ADHD/ADD. They are part of the e3 program for Oklahoma City public schools, and this year all the teachers they have are amazing, but especially Ms. Justice! Nyasiah was hospitalized for 10 days and Ms. Justice reached out to check on not only her, but Deja and I as well. She also has been very helpful with resources and helping me with everything going forward with Nyasiah’s education since she came home from the hospital. She genuinely cares about her students and their families, it’s so rare to find a teacher that wants their students to not only do well in the classroom but to do well in life, and Ms Justice definitely cares about more than just the classroom, however my daughter’s grades have gone from below average at the beginning of the year to average now because she feels encouraged and motivated by her teachers, and Ms Justice definitely plays a huge part in Deja and Nyasiah having confidence in their school work this year!” – Heather Botz
Mr. Keith Huitt of Wynnewood High School.
“Hello! I want to nominate a teacher who has went above and beyond in the 37 years of his career at Wynnewood Public Schools.
Mr. Huitt spent 34 of those years as the director of the PROUD SOUND OF WYNNEWOOD and the other 3 in the classroom teaching history and civics. Keith Huitt is more than a teacher and band director. He is selfless, kind, loving, and giving. I had the pleasure of being in his civics class when I was in Middle School. I joined band my 6th grade year, where Mr. Huitt was my director. I began playing flute, and changed over to the trumpet my 7th grade year after spending many summer afternoons in the band room learning trumpet under his tutelage. During that summer, Mr. Huitt displayed great patience as I fumbled through my valve positions and most likely caused him massive headaches as I practiced song after song.
I give you that short story because it brings to light just a small piece of who Keith Huitt is, and how he patiently works with his students. Whether it’s in the classroom as a group, or on an individual basis, he gives his kids 100% because he feels each student is worth it. Keith loves his students as if they were his own children, and pushes each one towards their full potential. If you were to ask any current or former student of his, they’d all smile and tell you with a tear in their eye, that Mr. Huitt didn’t just teach us, but he loved us and encouraged us; and changed our lives for the better. In fact, I’m fighting back tears as I type this to you.
We’ve all heard the statement “It takes a village to raise a child.” Keith Huitt knows this to be true. He has worked tirelessly to help each student he’s taught to become more than they thought possible. He has fed his students, drove them home from football games and competitions because they had no rides, he’s counseled them on life, prayed for them, prayed with them, and cried with them. He’s rejoiced in our victories and been the biggest cheerleader and mentor to numerous students. He IS the heart and soul of Wynnewood, Oklahoma and Wynnewood Public Schools. In my humble option, he doesn’t just deserve to be Teacher of the month, but Oklahoma’s Teacher of a lifetime. However, I’d be happy to have him known as KMGL’s Teacher of the Month.
I hope that you’ll consider Keith Huitt for this, as he’s always remained LOYAL AND TRUE to Wynnewood and his students. “ – Jennifer Pritchard
Mrs. Sarah Schlueter of Guthrie Upper Elementary School.
“Sarah is a special education teacher, working with students diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance. That means the students in her class have things like Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder; the behavior issues that keep kiddos out of regular class because they have outbursts where they scream, cuss, hit and/or throw things. Needless to say, it is a very difficult population of kiddos to work with. Sarah does this with grace, patience, humor and kindness. She doesn’t treat the children like they are *bad* kids, just kids that need a little (a lottle!) extra help. She maintains her smile and calm demeanor. While all of that is awesome and worthy of teacher of the month… Sarah has been doing this all with breast cancer! The last few years, Sarah has been teaching day after day, while undergoing treatment for cancer. The surgeries, chemo, medications, scans, tests, doctor visits… at one point, she had lesions on her brain. It was a scary and traumatic time for Sarah with her health and her very LIFE in such a bad state. But even that didn’t stop Sarah from teaching with a smile on her face. The kiddos didn’t know she was in a fight for her life. Last week, Sarah was given the all clear! She is now cancer free! Or “no evidence of disease” as the doctors call it. As a recent cancer survivor myself and a former special education teacher, I understand all too well how hard this woman has had to fight. I’m honored and humbled to be able to witness her journey. This is why I believe she deserves teacher of the month EVERY month. Thank you for what you do!” – Jamie Mungai
Miss Bailey Smith of Riverside Public School – El Reno.
“I believe Miss Bailey Smith is special because she prioritizes life lessons over academic lessons. She works hard to find solutions for a challenging group of children who have received very little guidance in their school history. She will stay at school till 6pm every night until she finds solutions that won’t just work for her, but truthfully will benefit the students involved. It’s only been a month into the school year and progress is already being made. Now I think that’s pretty special.” – Chelsea Brown