El Dorado Public Schools - #PartOfThePride

El Dorado Middle School physical education teacher Lindsay Cooper and Grandview Elementary special education teacher Cristin Hubbard have been named the 2025-26 USD 490 District Teachers of the Year.

Cooper was recognized as the secondary recipient and Hubbard as the elementary recipient. The honor celebrates educators who demonstrate outstanding teaching, leadership and commitment to students across the district.

Cooper has taught physical education and health at El Dorado Middle School since 2005. She is a member of the Building Leadership Team, serves as secretary for the El Dorado National Education Association, and represents the middle school in Partners in Education. She received the district’s Award of Excellence in 2023. She has also coached, sponsored EMS KAY and served as the Assistant Athletic Director for the high school.

Her nomination statements described her as an inclusive teacher who “makes all her students feel loved and more like friends” while helping them build skills in tennis, jump rope and other activities. “Mrs. Cooper is nice, she puts everyone before herself and she’s just an amazing teacher and person,” one student wrote.

Hubbard, who joined Grandview Elementary as a mixed abilities special education teacher this year, has taught in USD 490 since 2016. She previously served as an early childhood special education teacher at Blackmore and Jefferson Elementary schools. Earlier in her career, she taught at Seal Elementary in Douglass.

She has written and implemented multiple grants to expand student opportunities, including funding for augmentative communication devices, music curriculum, STEM materials and inclusive playground equipment. She also has served on intervention and positive behavior committees and provided homebound services for medically fragile students.

Her nominators praised her deep commitment to students and families. One parent wrote that Hubbard’s advocacy helped identify a rare genetic disorder in their child, leading to life-changing support. “She has helped him tremendously and he just keeps flourishing,” the parent wrote. “She is a great asset to the school and the community.”

District Teacher of the Year recipients are chosen through a nomination and review process and are eligible for consideration in the Kansas Teacher of the Year and Emporia State Master Teacher programs.

For more information about the program or to see previous recipients, visit the District Teacher of the Year page on our district website.