Carson High teacher named best in state

Adam Whatley was surprised last year to learn he was selected as the Carson City School District’s Educator of the Year.On Wednesday, the Carson High School English and technology teacher found out he’d been selected as the state’s best. “This is a really big deal for me,” he said shortly after the award was announced. “My heart’s beating really fast.”The distinction was announced by Nevada State Superintendent James Guthrie during a school wide assembly. Students and staff were told the assembly was to discuss school safety, so the announcement came as a surprise. “Throughout the U.S., in every state, there is selected one teacher who is uniquely equipped, one teacher who has shaped the lives of many students,” Guthrie explained. “There are 50 selected throughout the United States. And one of those individuals is one of your teachers.”Students spontaneously created a drum roll using their feet on the bleachers as Guthrie pronounced, “The Teacher of the Year for the state of Nevada is Adam Whatley.”Whatley, a 1996 Carson High School graduate, emerged from the crowd to an explosion of applause. He addressed the students. “I attended Carson High School,” he said. “I sat in those bleachers. I was you not that long ago. I admire what you do. Day in and day out, you are the lifeblood of the school.”He told them he wished he’d recognized the teachers who had touched his life, who “cared when they didn’t have to.” He encouraged them not to make the same mistake. “The heart of this school is the 115 members of the staff who dedicate themselves day in and day out to your learning,” he said. “They’re there for your future. Do me an honor, do what I failed to do, thank those teachers who have had an effect on your lives.”Richard Stokes, superintendent of the Carson City School District, said the state made the right choice, pointing to the work Whatley has done inside and outside of the classroom, including serving as the adviser for the robotics team and a member of the strategic plan committee. “Adam is a highly deserving teacher,” he said. “Not only is he energizing and interesting and popular with the students, he is community minded and serves as an expert educator. “He will represent Nevada well.”Whatley is the second Carson High School teacher to receive the honor. English teacher Cheryl Macy was named the Nevada Teacher of the Year in 2011. Empire Elementary School’s LeAnn Morris received the distinction in 2008.“We’re very pleased,” Stokes said. “This is a tremendous measure of the quality of teachers we have in the Carson City School District.”