2025 Simplot Inspirational Teacher of the Year Finalist Kathryn Mathis

Please join us in celebrating an outstanding educator! 

We’re proud to announce that Kathryn Mathis, Fine Arts teacher at Century High School, has been named a finalist for the Simplot Inspirational Teacher of the Year!

This year, the Simplot Education Council received an incredible 2,617 nominations recognizing 402 exceptional teachers across Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25. Finalists will be spotlighted daily through Thursday, May 15, 2025.

On Friday, May 16, 2025, three Simplot Inspirational Teacher Awards will be announced—honoring one exceptional teacher each from the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Each category features five finalists, all of whom will receive a $100 award, with the top recipient in each group earning a $500 prize from the Council.

Congratulations to Ms. Mathis on this well-deserved recognition!

Ms. Mathis has always been so kind to me. Whenever I enter her class I feel like I am in a safe place. She treats every student kindly, she is just a very kind person overall.  When I entered her class this trimester, I didn’t know any of the other students. I was scared to talk to people and start conversations.  Mas. Mathis saw this and helped enable conversations between me and another classmate and now we are great friends. She has always made me feel safe and cared for, she is an amazing person and most definitely deserves recognition. Carly A.

“Ms. Mathis taught me that every single person can do art and that practice is the key component.  Talent only exists in the drive to make art, not within the skill of art itself. Ms. Mathis taught me to not be ashamed of my art, I often felt that way. But her encouragement and support allowed me to reach out to other people for their opinions which gave me the confidence to keep improving.” Andrew C.