SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY — Freedom Elementary School music teacher Emily Minnis has been named the Elementary Teacher of the Year for District 5 by the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) Executive Board and District 5 membership.
The annual distinction honors music educators who demonstrate outstanding instructional leadership, service to professional arts education organizations, and meaningful community impact within their schools.
Mrs. Minnis, currently in her second year leading the music program at Freedom Elementary, has maintained an active commitment to professional music education throughout her career. Her involvement with KMEA began during her sophomore year of college through NAfME Collegiate (formerly CNAfME). Upon joining Bullitt County Public Schools (BCPS), she transitioned into active professional membership with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and its state affiliate, KMEA.
Before stepping into her current classroom at Freedom Elementary, Minnis developed her instructional craft across multiple regional classrooms and youth arts programs. She completed student teaching placements at Shepherdsville Elementary School and Western Middle School for the Arts, alongside prior work as a substitute teacher and youth music summer camp counselor.
A proud product of Bullitt County Public Schools, Minnis’s dedication to teaching stems directly from the arts instruction she experienced growing up in the district. Influenced by her parents—her mother, a therapist, and her father, a teacher—she initially pursued music therapy before discovering her calling in public school education, ultimately completing her degree in Music Education. Along her journey, educators such as Ryan Meeks (who inspired her while teaching at Maryville Elementary), Julie McKay (Hebron Middle School), and Jake Mitchell (formerly of North Bullitt High School, currently at Hebron Middle School) helped shape her ambition to lead a classroom of her own.
"It is an honor that I got chosen to be music educator for District 5," said Minnis. "I know so many other educators inside the district and outside of the district that do a great job that I look up to, and I’m just so thankful that they taught me everything I know so I can be in this position with this award. I’m grateful to be here at Freedom, and I wouldn’t have the award if it weren’t for my kids and my community here that I get to teach music."
District 5 of the Kentucky Music Educators Association represents school music programs across the greater Louisville and surrounding regional school districts.
For more information about arts programming at Freedom Elementary or Bullitt County Public Schools, visit bullittschools.org.