Reagan Mullins, Recipient of the Outstanding Beginning Teacher (OBT) Award

Reagan Mullins, a fourth grade teacher at Pevely Elementary School, recently received the Outstanding Beginning Teacher (OBT) Award presented by Dr. Ken Boning, Jefferson College Teacher Education Program Coordinator.

Reagan graduated from Jefferson College with her Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree in spring 2021 before earning her bachelor’s degree at UMSL. She is currently in her second year of teaching at Pevely Elementary.

The OBT is sponsored by members of the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE), which consists of teacher education programs in colleges and universities across the state. Every other spring semester, MACTE member institutions may honor one or two first or second year teachers as OBT recipients. In 2025, institutions named 63 OBTs across the state.

Dr. Boning selected Reagan for the award because she was an outstanding student while she completed the Jefferson College AAT degree, and she served as president of the Student MNEA Club (now Aspiring Educators), both of which indicated the kind of teacher and leader she would become.

Mrs. Katie Dunlap, Principal of Pevely Elementary School, supported Dr. Boning’s nomination of Reagan by saying, “In her first year, she was a 5th grade teacher who taught departmentalized Social Studies and Science on a rotation of three classes. This was challenging for a first-year teacher as it required her to be an expert in the field of Science and Social Studies while also building relationships with 75+ students. She always worked hard to plan engaging science experiments for all of her students while also teaching social studies. I commend Ms. Mullins for always seeking advice, listening to feedback, and for communicating when she needed extra assistance in her classroom. Now during her second year of teaching, Ms. Mullins is a 4th grade teacher at Pevely Elementary School. This was a big change for Reagan, and she embraced the challenge with positivity and excitement for a new grade level and team of teachers to work with. She is now teaching all subject areas and doing well with planning, classroom management, and engagement. Reagan still values feedback and is always willing to try new things. She is always positive and speaks highly of her students. It is evident that Reagan takes great pride in their success as a reflection of her as their teacher. Ms. Mullins has been a great asset to our teaching team at Pevely, and we are fortunate to have her with us!”