Mr. Nathan Cook was announced as the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year for Springfield Public Schools. The announcement was made, Monday, April 18, 2022, during the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools Celebrate SPS event.
Nathan is the choir director at Parkview High School and is a proud product of Springfield Public Schools, having attended Horace Mann Elementary, Carver Middle School, and Kickapoo High School. Throughout his time as a student at SPS, Nathan was inspired by phenomenal teachers who cared for and challenged him to grow. He saw the unique opportunity a teacher has to make a positive difference in the life of a student, which led to his pursuit of music education.
Nathan attended the University of Arkansas, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 2011, with an emphasis in Choral Conducting. He student taught in Springfield at Parkview High School, and then traveled across the world to teach music at Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand where he founded and conducted the Grace Children’s Choir and the Grace Community Choir. Nathan later continued his study of choral conducting in Vancouver, Canada at the University of British Columbia and received his Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University. At Parkview since 2016, Nathan directs 5 choirs, teaches AP music theory, and co-developed the first high school musical theatre course in SW Missouri. Nathan is active as a clinician, music director, and accompanist in the area.
Cook shared, “A teacher must be an innovative includer; diligently and creatively working to build unity within a classroom. By loving one another and by pursuing excellence in our classrooms, we allow our students the opportunity to learn to do the same.”
Nathan will continue on to compete in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s regional competition. Winners at the regional level will advance to the Missouri State Teacher of the Year competition.
