2013-2014 Teacher Of The Year

The Meridian Star Article

By Terri Ferguson Smith

Teachers, principals, superintendents, family members and education supporters celebrated two years of surprising outstanding teachers with the Golden Apple Award on Thursday.

The award started in August, 2012, and according Mike Reed, owner of the Meridian Family of Stations, it has touched many lives, not only the 20 teachers who have been singled out as Teacher of the Month.

A banquet is held at the end of each school year to honor all of those who have won Teacher of the Month and to announce Teacher of the Year.

Travis Dixon, a first-year math teacher at Neshoba Central High School, was named the 2014 Golden Apple Award Teacher of the Year at the end of the program held at Meridian Community College's Tommy E. Dulaney Center. Dixon was nominated for Teacher of the Month in April by many of his students, and appeared as surprised at his selection Thursday as he was upon receiving the Golden Apple in April.

"I'd like to thank God first, my parents and my students, my colleagues, and all of you here today," Dixon said. "I'd just like to say thank you."

Dixon said he has not only taught his students, his students have taught him.

"I've learned that when you work hard, like my students who work hard all year and I try to instill in them if you work hard, you will get rewarded in life," Dixon said.

When nominating him, his students sang his praises for rap lyrics he came up with that explained the quadratic equation.

As Teacher of the Year, Dixon won $2,500, a trophy and he was asked to nominate a student for a $2,500 scholarship. He chose Brandi Kilpatrick.