KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A longtime educator in south Kansas City has been named Missouri's 2026 "Teacher of the Year," the state's education department announced.

Kim Sixta, a social studies teacher at Ruskin High School within the Hickman Mills School District, earned the honor on Friday.

Aside from teaching social studies at Ruskin High School, Sixta also serves as an ACT coordinator and a sponsor for the National Honor Society, Student Council and Upward Bound.

In November 2023, Sixta was FOX4's "Teacher of the Month" after being nominated by a student.

"My most meaningful accomplishment isn't tied to a program I created or a lesson I delivered; it's found in the former students who return to say I helped them believe in themselves," Sixta said in a statement Friday.

"Some tell me I gav

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