A Clark County School District elementary school teacher was surprised with a prestigious statewide award on Wednesday.

Ali Jun, the music teacher at Tyrone Thompson Elementary School in southwest Las Vegas, was named the 2026 Nevada State Teacher of the Year. The annual award is given to one educator who gets to partake in a yearlong professional development experience and serve as an ambassador for teachers across the state.

Jun has been a music teacher for 21 years, beginning in Long Island, New York, before moving to Las Vegas in 2006. She helped establish music programs at three elementary schools in the valley, including Thompson Elementary, where she leads two choirs, produces musicals and helps kids learn singing, dancing and instruments. In 2021, Jun won the Milken Educator Awar

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