Central Iowa teacher among finalists for America’s Favorite Teacher contest

A central Iowa high school teacher is in the running to become America’s next favorite teacher.

Matt Heston, a math teacher at Knoxville High School, has advanced to the group finals for the “America’s Favorite Teacher” contest, a national competition where teachers across the country compete for the title, a grand prize and a feature in Reader’s Digest.

Heston, a teacher at Knoxville for more than two decades, received the second most votes in his initial group of nearly 100 teachers. Now, he’s advancing to the group finals alongside the other top five vote-getters. The public will vote to select one preliminary winner who will move on to a quarterfinal among all groups.

Voting in the group finals began on March 27 and ends on April 3. The grand prize winner will be announced on May 31.

“I didn’t get in teaching for the honors, but it’s sure nice for people to notice you’ve been doing a good job,” Heston told GoKnoxvilleTV.

What does the winner of America’s Favorite Teacher get?

Besides the feature in Reader’s Digest, one teacher chosen as America’s Favorite Teacher will receive a $25,000 cash prize, a trip to Hawaii and an opportunity to speak at a school assembly with popular science educator Bill Nye.

How would Matt Heston spend America’s Favorite Teacher prize money?

If he wins the contest, Heston said he would allocate $10,000 of his winnings to his daughter’s college fund, $10,000 to start a scholarship for Knoxville High School students pursuing education careers and use the remaining $2,500 to treat his wife to a vacation.

To vote for Heston, visit his page at the America’s Favorite Teacher website.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.