PULASKI COUNTY, Ark. -- On May 15, the Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) celebrated its district-level support staff and teacher of the year at the inaugural Evening of Excellence event. This is the fifth year the District has participated in the annual Arkansas Department of Education’s (ADE) Teacher of the Year program and the first time the District has recognized support staff. Through a rigorous selection process, each of PCSSD’s schools and district offices selected one educator and one support staff as their building-level winners of the year.
The District hosted their evening event to recognize the school winners and announce the PCSSD Teacher and Staff of the Year. The 2024-2025 PCSSD Teacher of the Year is Catherine Ziller, 8th grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at Robinson Middle. Reid Altom, Speech Language Pathologist at Crystal Hill Elementary, is the 2024-2025 PCSSD Support Staff of the Year.
Ziller's passion for education began at a young age when she'd help her stepmom grade papers. From there, she excelled as a student, graduating third in her class at Mount St. Mary Academy. She continues to excel in the classroom as an 8th grade English teacher at Robinson Middle. In just her third year, she was named the ELA department chair and she is currently pursuing her masters degree in education with a 4.0 GPA.
“Catherine differentiates instruction to meet the diverse needs of her learners and consistently seeks innovative strategies to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed,” shares Robinson Middle Assistant Principal Monica Ring. “Her leadership as Department Chair has elevated the instructional practices of the entire ELA team, and her colleagues regard her as a trusted mentor and collaborator.”
Ziller has worked tirelessly to engage her students and support her school community since joining the Robinson Middle team in the 20-21 school year. From transforming her classroom to deepen her students’ experience with their current unit, to attending her students extracurricular activities and making 200 friendship bracelets at open house, Ziller’s impact starts during school hours but goes far beyond the classroom. She even volunteered her nights and weekends to create the Robinson Middle Yearbook program.
“Ms. Zilller’s consistent involvement in and out of the classroom reflects her creativity, warmth, generosity, leadership, and dependability; which creates a safe educational environment that shows the students time and again that she believes in them and their potential,” says fellow Robinson Middle ELA teacher, Crystal Brown. “Because of her, they feel safe and valued, Ms. Ziller’s students work hard not to let her down, which allows them to believe in themselves and fosters their growth.”
Ziller was selected out of 26 other PCSSD school-level winners and will now move on to represent the District in the 2026 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Program. Previous PCSSD teacher of the year winners were also present, Shannon Hum (20-21), Bokari Williams (21-22), Ben Light (22-23) and Jeanie Wilcoxon (24-25), the 2025 Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
PCSSD followed the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Teacher of the Year guidelines, including the teacher’s impact on school culture, leadership in and out of the classroom, and student connections. The winners for all schools can be found in our initial announcement.
For the first time, PCSSD is excited to recognize support staff for their hard work and dedication given to each school within the District. PCSSD’s inaugural district-level winner is Reid Altom, Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) at Crystal Hill Elementary.
Altom started working for PCSSD in 1997, but that wasn’t always the plan. After graduate school, his sights were set on a clinical placement. Yet his final semester, a school-age internship at two PCSSD schools, changed his career trajectory. “Working with these students and connecting with their families sparked something in me that I hadn’t experienced in clinical placements,” said Altom. “Helping children find ways to communicate within their school and community settings gave me a deeper sense of purpose. Each time I saw a student being able to communicate better with peers and family members gave me a glimpse of the immediate and lasting impact of our work on students' daily lives. I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”
Crystal Hill Principal, Lisa Smith shares Altom’s impact to his students and the school community. “What makes Reid exceptional is not just his technical skill as a speech-language pathologist, but the way he makes every child feel seen, heard, and valued. Mr. Altom has an extraordinary ability to connect with students, empowering them to find their voice both literally and figuratively. When you walk into one of his speech sessions, you immediately feel the warmth, patience, and purpose he brings to his work.”
During his time with the District, Altom has worked with every grade level from pre-K to high school. Beyond his work as an SLP, Altom has led professional development as a certified Crisis
Prevention Intervention (CPI) instructor to train PCSSD employees to identify early
signs of escalation and respond effectively. He was also instrumental in the creation of The Hive, a sensory calm-down space at Crystal Hill.
Laura Campbell, Crystal Hill Kindergarten teacher, shares his daily impact for every family. “Mr. Altom consistently goes above and beyond to support the entire school. Rain or shine, he can be found at the car line every afternoon, greeting families with a smile and communicating car numbers with the office to ensure a smooth and quick dismissal process. His presence helps ensure a safe end to each day, reinforcing the strong sense of community we strive to build.”
The winners for all schools and the building-level winner can be found in our initial announcement.
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