{"id":469,"date":"2026-04-14T10:20:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/?page_id=469"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:25:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:25:30","slug":"2025-2026-honorees","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/awards\/2025-2026-honorees\/","title":{"rendered":"2025-2026 Honorees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Christopher<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Christopher Brandriff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Dr. Christopher Brandriff reflects on his journey in education, he often comes back to one simple yet powerful theme: learning never stops. He began his career teaching junior high social studies, a role he held for 11 years. Those years in the classroom gave him a strong foundation in understanding students\u2019 needs and the daily realities of teachers\u2019 work.\u00a0Read more about Christopher Brandiff.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"a<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ben Johnson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Located in Deering, Missouri, near the southernmost point of the state, the Delta C-7 School District is one of the smallest in Missouri. Dr. Ben Johnson, EdD`15, doesn\u2019t view Delta C-7\u2019s small size or limited funding as disadvantages. To him, they are opportunities, chances to think creatively, form unexpected partnerships, and prove that rural schools can deliver big results. \u201cI want these kids to have the same opportunities, the same aspects as everybody else. So that\u2019s really been my focus\u2026 I\u2019m keeping going and bringing unique experiences for our kids that they wouldn\u2019t normally get.\u201d Dr. Johnson stated.\u00a0Read more about Ben Johnson.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Grenita<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Grenita Lathan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When Dr. Grenita Lathan became superintendent of Springfield Public Schools (SPS) in 2021, she stepped into Missouri\u2019s largest district with 25,000 students and more than 3,500 employees. From the start, she prioritized accessibility, transparency, and collaboration. \u201cI\u2019ve always tried to be a leader that is accessible,\u201d Dr. Lathan said. \u201cI want people to understand that I\u2019m just an everyday person, that I\u2019m an educator, a parent, a community member, and that they have access to me. Sometimes the access might not be what they want, but I want to make myself available. I want to meet people where they are.\u201d\u00a0Read more about Grenita Lathan.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"a<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Abigail Verts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Abigail Verts stepped into a 7th grade science teaching role for the first time, despite being trained in elementary education. Instead of letting the unfamiliar hold her back, she embraced the challenge and found ways to adapt and thrive in her new middle school environment in California, Missouri. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved serving people. I\u2019ve always loved helping people, and that just translated into a classroom, being able to help them grow, and help them learn life skills, and what it means to be a human being on this planet, and so it\u2019s just absolutely amazing,\u201d Ms. Verts said.\u00a0Read more about Abigail Verts.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christopher Brandriff When Dr. Christopher Brandriff reflects on his journey in education, he often comes back to one simple yet powerful theme: learning never stops. He began his career teaching junior high social studies, a role he held for 11 years. Those years in the classroom gave him a strong foundation in understanding students\u2019 needs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"parent":379,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-469","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/469\/revisions\/476"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cehd.missouri.edu\/hook-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}