Omaha FACES Story by Bailey Hemphill • Photos by Jess Ewald
Nebraska Teacher of the Year
K
Luisa Palomo
indergarten teacher Luisa Palomo was in her classroom
last October, working with her students, when she suddenly found herself at the center of a surprise presentation by Nebraska Education Commissioner Dr. Roger Breed, who informed her that she’d been chosen 2012 Nebraska Teacher of the Year. Over the summer, Palomo’s administrators had nominated her for the award. In early October, she learned she was one of the five finalists; and a week later, she was announced as the winner. “I was absolutely thrilled and completely taken aback!” she says. “Previous winners taught for years and years, and I’ve only been teaching a short while. And besides 36
january/february • 2012
being a young teacher, I’m a kindergarten teacher…most winners are upper-elementary or middle or high school teachers.” Palomo is the oldest of three children born and raised in Gering, Neb. She graduated from Gering High School in 2000 and went on to attend Creighton University. “I knew I would do something that involved service for others…I went back and forth between law and education.” After spending time working in a school in the Dominican Republic, Palomo realized how fortunate the U.S. is with the availability of free, quality education and decided on a teaching career. She was placed as a practicum at the new Liberty Elementary School in the Omaha Public Schools district, and practiced for two years. When she graduated from Creighton in 2004 with a bachelor’s in elementary education, she became a full-time teacher at Liberty. In 2007, Palomo received her ESL endorsement from Concordia University. She went on to earn her master’s in education administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2009. She married a fellow Creighton graduate, Mark, last fall and currently lives in Midtown Omaha where she enjoys gardening, reading, and walking her goldendoodle, Sadie. Palomo, recipient of the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award in May 2010, is in her eighth year at Liberty Elementary. As an early childhood teacher, she understands that early www.OmahaPublications.com