May 2023 | Vol. 09 Iss. 05
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HUNTER DRAMA TEACHER KJERSTI PARKES IS GRANITE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S TEACHER OF THE YEAR By Peri Kinder | peri.k@thecityjournals.com
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jersti Parkes was beginning to suspect something was up. During an assembly at Hunter High School on April 13, she noticed the Granite District superintendent and several district leaders in the crowd. She leaned to her friend and whispered, “This might be for me.” She was right. Granite Superintendent Rich Nye made a surprise announcement during the assembly, naming Parkes the 2023 Granite School District Teacher of the Year. “This award is so well deserved,” Nye said. “Ms. Parkes has a love for teaching and anyone that has been in her classes or around her can feel and sense that love. We’re honored that as a graduate of Granite, Ms. Parkes continues to share her expertise, kindness and compassion as a teacher in our district.” Parkes has taught drama and theater at HHS since 2010 and has been an educator in the district for 17 years. She was named an Excel Award winner for Granite earlier in the year and it had put her in the running for Teacher of the Year. “It was kind of a blur,” she said. “I did not expect it and it was a little overwhelming. My family came on stage and my stu-
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dents were all there…it was overwhelming but also really cool at the same time, and not expected.” She learned her students had been in on the surprise and had kept the secret from her for a week. Looking back, she could see that her students were acting a bit suspicious, but she didn’t think much about it. “There were so many clues I missed. There were people making sure I was in a certain place [during the assembly],” she said. “When I look back there was a ton of suspicious behavior but I just thought my students were being weird. They’re teenagers.” As a graduate of HHS, in the class of 1997, Parkes loves teaching drama at the school where she experienced her first onstage performance. When she took the job, she replaced her theater teacher, who was retiring. She considers it an honor to carry on the tradition of excellence the school has established. Parkes also carries on a legacy of award-winning educators. Her mom, Kristine Davis, was a previous Excel Award winner and a teacher at Hunter Junior High Kjersti Parkes was named the 2023 Granite School District Teacher of the Year during a surprise announce-
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ment at Hunter High School. She has taught drama and theater at HHS since 2010. (Photo courtesy of Kjersti Parkes)
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