A kindergarten teacher and a high school English teacher have been named as the top teachers this year for Lawrence’s public schools.

Lynn Heffley, a kindergarten teacher at Pinckney Elementary School, and Ron Lang, a Lawrence High School English teacher, were each honored in separate surprise presentations this morning at their respective schools.

“I’m flabbergasted,” Heffley said after Superintendent Randy Weseman made the announcement at a before-school assembly at Pinckney. Weseman then left quickly to go to the presentation for Lang at LHS.

Heffley is in her 25th year of teaching locally. She has taught kindergarten at New York and Wakarusa Valley elementary schools and developmental first grade and kindergarten at Pinckney.

Before coming to Lawrence, she also taught first grade in McLouth for one-and-a-half years and preschool in Lawrence for six years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Kansas University.

Lang, who is in his 38th year of teaching at LHS, was named as the 2007 Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Lang has taught physical education, language arts and English and has coached basketball at LHS.

Before coming to Lawrence, he taught two years in Roswell, N.M. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from KU.

The district will submit Heffley’s nomination to the Kansas Teacher of the Year program sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, which requires nominees to teach in 2007-2008. Lang plans to retire at the end of the year.