Durant High School history Teacher LeaAnn Wyrick was named the district-wide Teacher of the Year for 20252026 during a surprise presentation in her classroom on Jan. 16.
Superintendent Mark Moring explained to her class how in depth the process is to select the TOY.
“We have seven sites, hundreds of fabulous teachers and Mrs. Wyrick has won it all,” Moring said. “So, what that means for Mrs. Wyrick is, she’s not only our district Teacher of the Year, but she’s going to go on and be in the running for the State of Oklahoma’s Teacher of the Year coming up.”
Wyrick’s husband Jimmie is the head softball coach, and he was named the baseball coach last year.
“I was giving coach Wyrick a hard time now, but I’m going to call him Mr. LeaAnn Wyrick from now on,” Moring said. “He’s not coach Wyrick any longer. He has definitely been overshadowed, so I wanted to thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart.”
Moring said it is teachers that make a difference in people’s lives.
“I got into education and I’m in my 28th year and now, I’m the superintendent, but I got into education because of what a teacher did and the influence that they had on your lives,” Moring said. “So hopefully, you have that in some way, shape or form with your teachers, too. I’m glad we could do this in front of the kids as well.”
Moring then presented Mrs. Wyrick with checks from Durant Public Schools, Dr. Pepper and Sodexo, the company that handles the school district’s cafeterias.
“This is one of my favorite times of the year and thank you very, very much,” Moring said. “It’s a lot of hard work and you guys, to be a really good teacher, it takes a lot of hours and a lot of patience and you want to put everybody else above yourself and that’s what happens every day with Mrs. Wyrick, the teachers in the back of the classroom, the teachers across the district is, you’re always putting yourself below everybody else to try to prop them up. So, you guys are blessed, we’re blessed as a district, (principal Amber) Mrs. Bullard is blessed and thank you very, very much for everything you do.”
Mrs. Wyrick has taught for 18 years and is in her third year at Durant. She thanked everyone.
“I just want to tell you guys that you, well, first you make me look good,” Wyrick said. “You guys are amazing and this is all about you. This is what we do and thank you. I work for the best boss ever and all these teachers that you see around you guys, look around. Each step of the way, you guys give them a hand. To all of you guys, thank you so much and I hope that I can represent and advocate and really do you justice. Thank you so much. I want to make you proud.”
After the presentation, Wyrick expressed surprise about being named Teacher of the Year.
“It warms my heart,” she said. “I am very honored and very touched and it’s a very big job representing the cream of the crop for the State of Oklahoma. These teachers here are the best, so I’m honored to represent them.”
Principal Bullard, when asked if she was surprised, said, “Well, actually, I’m not that surprised because Ms. Wyrick is an outstanding teacher. I think that the committee did well in choosing her. Of course, they were all excellent candidates, but Ms. Wyrick really has a love of learning and she loves her students.
“She mentors our younger teachers who need some help along the way. She chairs our Sunshine Committee to spread positivity and kindness to the students and staff at our school. She’s always going above and beyond to do anything that she can to make her classroom engaging and do what’s best for kids. We’re very excited, very proud of her and I know she’s going to do great at the state competition.”
Blair Burrage is a student in one of Mrs. Wyrick’s classes.
“I think she deserves it because she’s really encouraging and is a really good teacher,” Burrage said. “I like how she actually makes us critically think in our class. It’s not just like a, ‘Oh, what year is this,” it was, ‘Why did this happen and what were the causes and effects of it,’ and it’s really helped me deepen my knowledge of American history.”
