STUTTGART — Stuttgart High School English teacher Meghan Ables is the 2016 Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
Ables was announced as the winner of the award Monday during a surprise event at the school attended by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key.
Ables teaches 11th-grade English and literacy and is a journalism teacher. She was cited for helping students improve their test scores and as a leader at the school.
Ables received a $1,000 award from the Walton Family Foundation when she was named one of 15 regional finalists. She was then selected as one of four state finalists, and as Teacher of the Year she receives an additional $14,000 award.
She also receives the 2016 Teaching Excellence Award, which includes technology products for her classroom.