The district recognized three educators for their exemplary teaching by two separate programs sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education. Brittney Schrag, third grade teacher at Riverview Elementary, was chosen as the 2026 Horizon Award nominee for USD 232. In addition, Mimi Leuszler, Technology Teacher at Mize Elementary, and Meredith Lenfestey, a seventh grade ELA teacher at Mill Creek Middle School, are named as the USD 232 elementary and secondary teachers of the year.

Kansas Horizon Award

The Horizon Award is a program developed by the Kansas State Department of Education that honors and recognizes exemplary first-year teachers who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding.  The program is a regional competition with four regions corresponding to the state’s U.S. Congressional districts. Four elementary and four secondary classroom teachers may be selected for the award from each region. Brittney Schrag of Riverview Elementary will find out in February if she is selected as a 2026 Horizon Award winner. Learn more about the Kansas Horizon Award.

Kansas Teacher of the Year Program

The Kansas Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the excellent education being offered by our teachers in both elementary and secondary classrooms. The mission of KTOY is to build and utilize a network of teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession. USD 232 is a strong participant in the Kansas Teacher of the Year program with 15 state finalists and 14 semi-finalists being represented in the program since 1998. Leuszler and Lenfestey will go on to represent the district in the 2027 Kansas Teacher of the Year program.

Brittney Schrag is just completed her first year as a teacher for our district after earning her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Kansas State University. She completed her student teaching in Manhattan at Northview Elementary. After graduating in December 2023, she was a math-intervention teacher at Frank V. Bergman Elementary for one semester. Brittney was hired in July 2024 to teach third grade at Riverview Elementary.

Brittney, pictured third from left, is with (from left) USD 232 Superintendent Cory Gibson, Heather Conway, Riverview Building Coordinator, and Riverview Elementary Interim Principal Lea Ann Combs.

 

 

 

 

Mimi Leuszler joined USD 232 in 2008 as a third-grade teacher at Horizon Elementary. She moved to Mize Elementary in 2009 and taught third and fifth grade before becoming the school’s technology teacher in 2019. Mimi first started teaching in the Wichita area for 3-years, after graduating from Wichita State Magna cum laude with a BA in Education in 1995. Mimi’s teaching journey included teaching at Sacred Heart in Shawnee from 2000-2005, to Anthem, Arizona where she taught for 2-years then back to Kansas where she taught with the Olathe School District before finding her home at USD 232. Mimi also earned her Master's in Educational Technology in 2020 from Pittsburg State University and her Building Leadership Certificate in 2022  

In the photo (from left) USD 232 Superintendent Cory Gibson, Mimi Leuszler, Mize Elementary Principal Gerri Balthazor, and Mize Building Coordinator Cheyenne Zwahlen.

 

 

Meredith Lenfestey has been seventh grade ELA teacher at Mill Creek Middle School since 2018. She has earned Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Emporia State University and a Master of Art of Educational Leadership from Kansas State University. Before her position at MCMS, she taught at Junction City Middle School from 2012-2018 as a Language Arts Teacher. In addition to her volleyball coach and student council sponsor roles at MCMS, Meredith has also served as new teacher mentor, the MTSS Literacy Coordinator for her building and served on the AVID Site Team.

In the photo, Meredith is flanked by (from left) USD 232 Superintendent Cory Gibson and Mill Creek Middle School Associate Principal Denise Legore Seawood.