By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Centre first-grade teacher Briana Methvin was recently recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce in Herington.

Centre Superintendent Susan Beeson, who presented a plaque to Methvin, described her as “the sweetest, most kind, loving person we know.”

She went on to emphasize the importance of the work Methvin does in laying the groundwork for children’s academic success. This includes learning letters and their sounds, writing them, and the blending of letter sounds to make and read words. Students also are introduced to numbers, value, addition, and subtraction.

Methvin has taught first grade for 10 years, was a pre-kindergarten teacher for three years, and taught kindergarten and fourth grade for one year.

“What I love the most about first grade is teaching my students to read,” she said.

She has also learned how to incorporate technology into her classroom.

“Every first grader has a school issued iPad,” she said.

Methvin grew up in Louisiana, graduated from Northwestern State University, and taught junior high students for one and a half years.

She moved to Kansas in 1992, when she married Brent Methvin.

After being a stay-at-home mom to four sons, she returned to teaching at Centre in 2007.

Her husband is a rancher. Their youngest son, Lane, is a junior at Centre High School.

“Briana is one of the special people gifted to Centre School, to love, nurture, and teach the very youngest of learners in preparation for a life of success,” Beeson said.