BATON ROUGE, La.- The Louisiana Department of Education announced the 2019 Louisiana Teacher and Principal of the Year at the 12th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Awards Gala last week in Baton Rouge, La.
Spencer Kiper, of Elm Grove Middle School in Bossier Parish, was named the 2019 State Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Eric Davis, of Wossman High School in the City of Monroe School District, was named the 2019 State Principal of the Year.
Kiper, a native of northwest Louisiana, serves as a science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) teacher and advocate.
Kiper teaches STEM enrichment to more than 100 middle school students and acts as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University at Shreveport in the fields of Educational Technology and STEM Education. When he is not teaching, Kiper is an active volunteer and mentor in Civil Air Patrol and was awarded the National Aerospace Educator of the Year award in 2016.
For four consecutive summers, Kiper has also worked as a professional development specialist for the Space Academy for Educators program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., where he inspires other educators to engage in high-impact STEM instructional practices.
Kiper holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary English and Biology Education from Louisiana State University at Shreveport; a master’s degree in Educational Technology from the American College of Education; and a graduate certificate in Cyber and STEM Education from Louisiana Tech University.
Dr. Davis is an education veteran, with 20 years of experience in teaching and leadership.
Before becoming an administrator, Davis taught business education and special education and coached high school football, basketball and baseball.
His favorite part of his career is influencing the lives of young people every day and encouraging them to take charge and ultimately fulfill their purpose.
Dr. Davis earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Miles College in Birmingham, Ala.; a master's degree in Education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe; and a doctorate degree in administration doctorate degree in Administration Leadership for Teacher Learning from Walden University.
