The Carson City School District is pleased to announce Kendra Tuttle, Early Childhood teacher at Carson High School, was honored as one of the four statewide finalists for the Nevada State Teacher of the Year, recognized by the Nevada Department of Education.
Tuttle was among four other finalists in the state for the award, including Jason Bennett of the Coral Academy of Science Middle School in Reno; Nicole Easley of Spring Mountain Junior/Senior High School (Clark County School District); Katie Emerson of Jesse Hall Elementary School (Washoe County School District) and Brooke Wheatley of Valley High School (Clark County School District). Ultimately, Brooke Wheatley was named the 2027 Nevada State Teacher of the Year.
Out of the 17 school districts in the state of Nevada, the Carson City School District has had teachers represented as top finalists for the last eight years running, including the following.
- 2026 – Kendra Tuttle
- 2025 – Laura Ricks
- 2024 – Lt. Cmdr. Dan Meyer
- 2023 – Adrienne Wiggins
- 2022 – Rachel Croft
- 2021 – Christina Bourne
- 2020 – Nick Jacques
- 2019 – Joanna Kaiser
Additionally, the Carson City School District has had four teachers win the prestigious Nevada State Teacher of the Year award. Those include the following.
- 2013 – Adam Whatley
- 2012 – Deanna LeBlanc
- 2011 – Cheryl Macy
- 2008 – LeAnn Morris
The mission of the Nevada State Teacher of the Year program is to celebrate excellence and strengthen the teaching force by honoring and recognizing exceptional teachers on a school, district, state and national level.
The Nevada Teacher of the Year is chosen from nominated individuals who are then invited to apply. After a rigorous application and interview process, the finalists were sent to Jhone Ebert, superintendent of public instruction, to make the final selection.
The National Teacher of the Year program is facilitated nationally by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Along with its sponsors, CCSSO brings together State Teachers of the Year from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Washington, DC, and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Teacher of the Year program in Nevada. In 2021, Nevada’s State Teacher of the Year, Juliana Urtubey, was recognized as the National Teacher of the Year.
Mrs. Kendra Tuttle is not only a product of the Carson City School District, but she is also following in her mother’s footsteps. Her mother, Mrs. Karen Simms, was the 1992 Carson High School Teacher of the Year. It seems that being a teacher is seemingly wrapped into Mrs. Tuttle’s DNA. After her mom carried her up and down the halls of Carson High during her pregnancy, some of Mrs. Tuttle’s earliest memories involve attending football games and spring musicals. So, long before she understood the profession, Mrs. Tuttle understood its impact.
Mrs. Tuttle has said she “teaches future teachers,” but her impact extends far beyond the walls of Carson High School. She has established partnerships with every elementary school in the district, allowing her high school students to work directly in early childhood classrooms. She has also created opportunities for her students to serve the broader community by volunteering at parenting classes, community events and family programs, where they are consistently requested for their professionalism and compassion.
Mrs. Tuttle also helped organize the High School Graduation walks last year, which is where graduating seniors visited the elementary schools they each attended when they were young. The emotional and inspiring visits from the high school seniors in their cap and gowns provided hope to grade-schoolers and invigorated them that they can achieve big things.
In short, Mrs. Kendra Tuttle is a gift to Carson High School, to the district and to the entire community. She has built something lasting and meaningful – something rooted in compassion, purpose and the belief that education can change lives. She embodies the very best of the teaching profession and reminds all educators why this work matters.
