Tiger teacher top three

Encampment K-12 School English teacher Leslie McLinskey made the top three for Wyoming Teacher of the Year award.

McLinskey was named Carbon County School District No. 2 Teacher of the Year last year, after being nominated by Pam Kraft, former art teacher at Encampment K-12 School. McLinskey began teaching at Encampment K-12 School in 2002, and attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, where she received degrees in English and education.

After receiving District Teacher of the Year, McLinskey said she was surprised to make it into the top-three for state, out of many nominated teachers from several participating school districts.

“It was pretty phenomenal and flattering to be one of the top three up for State Teacher of the Year, and being District Teacher of the Year helped put me into the running for State Teacher of the Year,” she said. “It’s a three-step process in the way they choose Wyoming State Teacher of the Year. We had to write several essays and have a phone interview, and then they narrowed it down to maybe only 10 of us after reading the essays. From there they picked the top three, and a group from the state also observed me teaching and filmed me.”

McLinksey said she was notified of her top-three ranking from Cindy Hill.

“Cindy Hill called me and said very nice things to me, including that the whole committee was excited by my energy and the great things I was doing,” she said. “I took that as a high compliment. It was shocking but also satisfying, and the whole experience was very validating.”

McLinskey said the other two finalists were veteran teachers, and that Mick Wiest was the winner for State Teacher of the Year. Wiest is an English teacher from Fort Mackenzie High School in Sheridan.

“Mick has taught for more than 25 years, and had actually given me tips on how to teach senior English,” McLinskey said. “I’ve only been teaching for 11 years, but I am excited about what I’m going to continue to do. This has been my first real teaching job and I haven’t left yet. That’s how much I love my job here.”