On May 20, Dripping Springs High educator Lauren Milner and PE teacher Shay Diez were named the DSISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year.
Both educators will represent DSISD at the 2019-20 Texas Teacher of the Year program.
Before joining the inaugural SSE staff in 2017, Diez taught for six years in Aldine ISD and four in Austin ISD. In addition to her PE certification, Diez also is certified as an Early Childhood-Fourth Grade generalist and in English as a Second Language.
Diez was a campus leader in developing the Mighty Tiger Games that included elementary Functional Academic students district-wide. Diez earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas.
Milner is in her fourth year at Dripping Springs High School and is also the sponsor of the school’s ROTC club. She also has served as a teacher/lecturer at the University of Texas Center for Professional Development. An Army veteran, Milner is certified in Career and Technical Education. Milner earned her bachelor’s degree in International Business/French from St. Joseph’s College (Ind.), and two master’s degrees – one in finance from Trident University and one in Sports and Health Sciences from the American Military University (Va.).
In addition to Diez and Milner, other campus Teachers of the Year were Caroline Rogers (Dripping Springs Elementary), Candy Rowen (Rooster Springs Elementary), Denise Thomas (Walnut Springs Elementary), Candace Torres (Sycamore Springs Middle) and Rachel Tole (Dripping Springs Middle).
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.
