Today, Flour Bluff ISD Administrators and members of the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee surprised two Flour Bluff ISD teachers in their classrooms with the announcement they each had been selected as the District’s Teachers of the Year. Jeana Banta has been named the Flour Bluff ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Mary Keyes has been named the District’s Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Jeana Banta is a 5th Grade teacher at Flour Bluff Intermediate. She is in her 6th year of teaching. Mrs. Banta focuses on connecting what her students learn in the classroom to their lives and struggles outside the classroom.

“It is extremely important for me to know my students,” said Jeana Banta, FBISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. “I try to know their needs in and out of the classroom and that builds that relationship and develops that communication.”

Mary Keyes has served 35 years in education. She started out her career as a paraprofessional and has been teaching students to excel in the classroom for 25 years.

“I care about my students and do my best to bring out their best, said Mary Keyes, FBISD Secondary
Teacher of the Year.”

The Flour Bluff ISD Teacher of the Year selection process is under the auspices of the Texas State Teacher of the Year program and honors outstanding educators across the District. Each of the District’s campuses selected a campus teacher of the year. Each of the Campus Teachers of the Year completed an application packet. The Flour Bluff ISD Teacher of the Year Selection Committee used the submitted essay packets to select the District’s Teachers of the Year. The winners now advance to the regional Teacher of the Year
selection process.

Flour Bluff ISD will officially recognize Jeana Banta and Mary Keyes during the District’s annual Employee Service Awards event held at the end of May. Each recipient will be given a monetary award as well as an apple glass award in recognition of their achievement.