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Since 1998, WAIC has celebrated outstanding Wyoming educators through our Educator of the Year Award. This year, we were honored to recognize Kelly Umbach, a third-grade Dual Language teacher at Verda James Elementary in Casper, as WAIC’s 2026 Educator of the Year and present her with a $5,000 award generously sponsored by Vermillion Ranch.
Kelly currently teaches at Verda James Elementary in Casper. She teaches third grade in the Dual Language Program. This fall she will be starting her 39th year in education. She has taught in Killeen, Texas and Casper, Wyoming.
While attending Casper College, she was unsure what career path she wanted to take. She signed up for a practicum class where she worked with elementary age students. She loved it. She was hooked and hasn’t looked back. She continued her education at the University of Wyoming and then earned her masters at Tarleton State University. Her favorite grade to teach is third grade. She loves this age of students and the curriculum she gets to teach. She has also taught second grade and has worked in administration.
She loves teaching reading. Her goal is to get students to WANT to read. She wants them to read to learn about history, our state, other cultures, sports, science, technology, fantasy, people like them and people who are different. She wants them to read for fun and entertainment. She wants them to read to gain information. Books and reading open so many opportunities for students.
She asks kids to track their reading each month and give them incentives to reach their goals. She expects students to read about 400 minutes a month. One month, several students read three times that! She explains, "They were reading about 40 minutes a day. When I asked them why they read so much, they said that it was an interesting series and they couldn’t put the books down. They were literally getting caught reading with a flashlight in bed. Such a great problem to have."
Kelly remembers when a previous student knocked on her door. She told her she just graduated with her teaching degree. She said Kelly was the reason she wanted to be a teacher. She wanted to be just like her. That meant so much to Kelly who recognizes that as a teacher she has the opportunity to positively impact the lives of students every day. That is a huge responsibility that she takes very seriously.
One thing she likes to do is support students in the activities they do outside the classroom. This involves attending sporting events, plays, recitals, concerts, art shows, and so much more. It builds a relationship that lasts years as she continues to cheer for them as they are in middle school, high school and college. Building relationships with students and letting them know she cares is key to a student's success. This also includes building relationships with the parents. She explains, "We are a team. When we work together, their child benefits."
Kelly first learned about WAIC through our Summer Professional Development Workshops. She attended a training in Casper and loved it. Educators were provided lessons and all the resources needed to teach. She went on a field trip to a ranch outside of town that raised cows and grew hay. It was so informative: "I learned so much and couldn’t wait to share the information with my students. I love the summer training experiences and digging deeper into the curriculum. I have since traveled to Ten Sleep and Gillette and learned about the uranium industry and fish hatcheries. WAIC also provides training for her students that attend the Farm Ag Expo in Casper. New and updated lessons and activities are shared with us. The staff also asks for our feedback and opinion about the lessons. We can take this learning back to share with our students. The lessons are fun and engaging while teaching great information about our state. They are lessons that are cross curricular and use math, reading, writing, and map skills," Kelly explains.
"If you think about Casper, you usually think about wind." Kelly explains how she loves teaching the students about wind turbines and energy. "In the lesson, students use pinwheels to learn about the wind and the blades. We go outside and “play”. We see how the wind can be different in various places on the playground. What affects the wind? Lots of questions come up as the learning begins. We then move inside and use hair dryers to imitate the wind. There are several lessons about the wind and other energy sources. These are the engaging lessons that the students remember."
Kelly explains that "Stewardship is a key component of the WAIC curriculum and important to what I try to teach my students every day. Stewardship means that my students and I need to be responsible and help take care of our state and its resources for generations to come. This ties in with the social skills and values I teach daily in the classroom such as responsibility and ownership. We all can make a difference by doing little things every day. It may be as small as picking up a piece of trash on the playground or in the hallway. It can be as simple as recycling or turning off the water while you are brushing your teeth. It can be big and involve hunting and fishing regulations. Teaching students good habits and how they can positively impact our state, help them establish practices that last a lifetime. These habits can also influence peers and adults. It is the butterfly effect."
Kelly shared that "It is an honor to be named WAIC’s 2026 Educator of the Year. My hope is that it brings more attention to WAIC and all that it provides to help teachers and students. I am hoping more teachers use the curriculum next year. It is an amazing program. I have spent almost 40 years of my life in Wyoming, and because of WAIC, I have continued to learn even more about our beautiful state. This includes visiting towns in Wyoming that I have not previously visited. My journey of continuous learning continues with the help of WAIC."
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