Amy Orr, a first-grade teacher at Wild Horse Elementary School in Chesterfield, has been named the 2002-2003 Rockwood School District Teacher of the Year.

Orr, who joined the district during the 1993-1994 school year as a reading and math specialist, says she was “stunned and surprised” when district leaders entered her classroom to tell her she had won.

“I was so thrilled that they made the announcement in front of my class. That’s why you do it, for the kids,” Orr stated in a district news release.

Each year in Rockwood, individual schools choose an educator to serve as their Teacher of the Year. From there, the district selects elementary, middle and high school Teachers of the Year. One of these individuals then is selected as the Rockwood School District Teacher of the Year.

This year, Orr was selected as Elemen-tary Teacher of the Year. Middle and high school honorees were Stacey Jones of Sel-vidge Middle School in Ballwin and Steve Klawiter of Lafayette High School in Wildwood.

Orr credited Rockwood’s Staff Develop-ment Program for teaching her how to bring out the best in her pupils.

“We have a theme in our classroom: ‘Reach for the stars, they’re closer than you think,”’ she stated in the release.