Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is proud to recognize two more outstanding staff members who have recently earned prestigious honors in their fields. Yi-Fan Lin, Mandarin Teacher at Mt. Vernon High School, received the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association’s Secondary Teacher of the Year award. In addition, Es Cole, Mt. Comfort Elementary Art Teacher, was named Indiana’s 2025 Outstanding Community-Based Art Educator by the Art Education Association of Indiana. They continue to exemplify incredible leadership and dedication as teachers, while uplifting those around them.

To qualify for the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association’s Secondary Teacher of the Year award, Ms. Lin had to have at least three years of Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) membership, at least six years of teaching experience as a world language teacher, as well as have a nomination and portfolio submitted to the IFLTA with a narrative statement, professional self-presentation, and letters of recommendation from students, supervisors, and parents.

For Ms. Cole to qualify for Indiana’s 2025 Outstanding Community-Based Art Educator by the Art Education Association of Indiana, an active Art Education Association of Indiana (AEAI) membership was required, as well as being a leader in excellence in the classroom, and working to advocate for art. After being nominated, a resume and at least two letters of recommendation were submitted.

During the December MVCSC Board of Trustees meeting, three staff members were recognized for state-level honors, including two highlighted in this release. A third honoree, Kasey Pasyk, was previously featured in a separate press release for being named Assistant Director of the Year by the Indiana School Nutrition Association.

Superintendent Dr. Jack Parker shared, “I'm particularly delighted to share these celebrations with the board tonight. You know, you don't get maybe three or four or handfuls of state-level association honors and recognitions at a school corporation in a year, and we have three that we're going to celebrate just in one evening. We're really proud of these educators and the incredible distinction that they have earned, but also the fact that they’re amazing teachers at Mt. Vernon.“