Baltimore Gets New Teacher Of The Year

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore gets a new teacher of the year! The coveted award goes to a teacher who says her subject is a way to get students motivated about their other classes.

Gigi Barnett explains.

Baltimore City's new teacher of the year fills her classroom with color.

"She loves art like how we love food," said Lache Dabney.

That art seems to seep out into the hall at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School.

Athanasia Kyriakakos learned she won the coveted award Monday morning with a surprise visit from City Schools CEO Dr. Gregory Thornton.

"My first reaction: thank you and thank you for my kids to make this happen because I couldn't have done this without them and their families," she said.

Kyriakakos---also called Mrs. K. by her students---received a slew of nominations to beat out more than 230 other nominations.

School leaders picked her because she teachers students how to use the power of art in their other classes.

"The arts really give students the opportunity to express themselves, be creative, so when they go to engineering, they use that same creativity to solve other problems," said Mergenthaler Principal Craig Rivers.

"I thought art was boring," said Kiona Carr.

But now some students say thanks to Mrs. K., they're almost as passionate about it as she is.

"I couldn't draw. I couldn't do any of that," said Carr. "My skill level is now better than when I came."

Mrs. K. now moves on to compete in the state Teacher of the Year contest. The winner of that will move on to represent Maryland in the national competition.

Mrs. K. gets a string of prizes, which include a cash award, supplies for her classroom and a chance to show out the first pitch at city schools' Orioles night.