A Houston High School graduate has been named one of Missouri’s “Regional Teachers of the Year.”
Danielle O’Neil, a physical education teacher, was chosen in May as Springfield’s teacher of the year.
She was named one of 34 Regional Teachers of the Year, who were selected to represent their regions in the Missouri Teacher of the Year program.
The Houston native started her career in Eldon and was hired by SPS in 2016. She spent two years at Pershing Middle School and one at Delaware Elementary before moving to Sherwood in 2019.
In her relatively short career, 10 years, she has garnered state and national attention as a physical education teacher.
She has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Missouri State University and a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas.
The Missouri Teacher of the Year program celebrates the positive impact teachers have on students. Early on, nearly 500 teachers were nominated from 284 districts.
Semifinalists will be named in August.
She is a 2010 graduate of Houston High School. Her parents are Darrell and Cheryl Pounds.
