(KAIR)--An Atchison educator is named a semifinalist for the Region 2 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year award.

Earning the honor is Fourth-grade Atchison Elementary School special education teacher Ashley Funk.

Funk and her three fellow semifinalists will, according to the Kansas State Department of Education, receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.

The two finalists for the honor, as named during a ceremony held Sunday, are Troy St. Clair, of Topeka USD 501 and Julie Smith, of Santa Fe Trail USD 434.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year will be announced during a ceremony on Saturday, September 20, in Wichita.

According to KSDE, 136 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction for 2026.