A Kansas City teacher whose mission is to be a change agent is Missouri’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. Kimberly Sixta, a Social Studies teacher in the Hickman Mills School District, told Missourinet she is over the moon about the award.

“Outside of, of course, having my children and all these things, this is just really one of the big moments in my life. It means, like, everything up to this moment. I’ve poured my life into this work and it’s kind of like I made a difference – it’s worth,” she said.

Sixta, a mother of six children, said her goal has been to reach kids before they make life-changing decisions.

“I started out in Probation and Parole,” said Sixta. “I was working with at-risk youth. At the time, I just felt like that work was so reactive. I wanted to be more proactive to those

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