Mountain Grove R-III names District Teacher of the Year

The luck of the Irish may have been in the room at the Mountain Grove R-III School Board meeting on St. Patrick’s Day, but it was skill and heart that was acknowledged.
Michael Mackie, the Industrial Technologies instructor at the Ozark Mountain Technical Center (OMTC), was named the 2026 District Teacher of the Year.
The Industrial Technology program offers a variety of courses related to communication, manufacturing, transportation, and construction technologies.
Mackie is a native of Wright County and a graduate of Hartville High School in 1994.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from Missouri State University in 1998 and Masters in Educational Technology
From the same institution in 2014, he began his teaching career at the OMTC in fall of 2007.
“He shows dedication to his students in all of his projects,” praised Superintendent Dr Aaron Gerla.
When given a moment to speak at the meeting, Mackie felt blessed. “I have been blessed by great students, great coworkers and a great boss to work with. Just extremely blessed.”
The District Teacher of the Year was selected from the four school site teachers of the year. Site winners were Ali Watson, librarian from the elementary school; Gara Ipock, Science teacher from the middle school; Lindsey Long, Science teacher from the high school; and Mackie, OMTC Industrial Technologies instructor.