South Side Upper gifted teacher named Rural Teacher of the Year in district
Published 3:26 pm Saturday, January 15, 2022
- From left are Superintendent Dean Shaw, Susan Spiers, South Side Upper Principal Debbie Smith and Assistant Superintendent Walt Esslinger. Spiers was named 2021 Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year by Mississippi Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools. Photo by David Thornton Jr.
South Side Upper Elementary’s gifted teacher, Susan Spiers, was named the 2021 Mississippi Rural Teacher of the Year by Mississippi Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools. PREPS annual event names four teachers for the award every year; Spiers is the Congressional District 4 winner.
She will compete against the other three winners for overall Rural Teacher of the Year later next week.
Spiers has been a teacher for 39 years, most recently at South Side Upper Elementary.
“I love my school district, and I love the state of Mississippi and I am proud to represent the Picayune School District and the congressional district,” Spiers said.
As part of the award, Spiers was also provided with a $100 stipend, if she wins overall teacher of the year, she’ll be given a $1,000 college scholarship to support a deserving student in her school district.
