Brian Skinner, interrelated special education teacher at Newton High School, received his award and spoke in convocation Oct. 23 about the importance of connections in life and work.
Skinner, interrelated special education teacher at Newton High School, is the recipient of Bethel College’s Young Alumnus Award for 2023.
This award recognizes character and citizenship, achievement or service rendered, and honors and recognition received. The recipient must be 39 years of age or younger.
Skinner will receive the award and speak to students, faculty and staff in Bethel’s weekly convocation on Monday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center. The public is invited.
Earlier this year, Skinner got another award, Kansas Teacher of the Year – the first ever given to a teacher from USD 373-Newton Public Schools.
As the KTOY, Skinner led the KTOY Team (the seven runners-up) in presenting at colleges, universities, public schools and conferences across Kansas during the spring 2023 semester.
“Just to make the list of [KTOY] finalists is an honor,” said USD 373 Superintendent Fred Van Ranken when Skinner received the award. “To be [named] the Kansas Teacher of the Year is a career highlight.
“The USD 373 community should be very proud of Brian, Newton High and [the district]. They have a gem in Brian Skinner.”
Skinner grew up in Clay Center, Kan., where he graduated as valedictorian of his class at Clay Center Community High School in 2008. He was an honors graduate in history at Bethel College in 2012, and later went on to earn a master’s of teaching and learning at Friends University, Wichita.
Skinner has spent his entire teaching career thus far at NHS, where he in his 11th year and is chair of the special education department.
He has teaching licensure in history, government and social studies, and certification in adaptive special education, adaptive schools, and English/Language Arts, all for grades 6-12.
Skinner has also served as the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) case manager for Project SEARCH, a one-year program that focuses exclusively on vocational skills within the community, for students with significant disabilities who have completed their high school academic program.
Outside the special education department, Skinner was a general education English instructor for NHS’s virtual program from 2016-20 and served as adjunct history professor at Bethel in 2017.
Within USD 373, Skinner is known as a leader.
He started and expanded co-teaching in the NHS ELA department in 2017, has been the NHS Scholars’ Bowl coach since 2015, and has served as a concessions manager since 2014.
Skinner is also on his building leadership team and the NHS site council, and serves as chair of Newton’s freshman success team.
He is an active member at the local, regional and state level of the National Education Association.
“Working with students across such a wide spectrum helps [me] to best understand all students and have a larger impact in helping build a positive school culture,” Skinner said.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel was the first Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see http://www.bethelks.edu
