Advanced Technologies Academy (A-TECH) teacher Richard Knoeppel, the 2019 Nevada Teacher of the Year, received national recognition for his commitment to educational excellence when it recently was announced he would be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
Knoeppel is one of five inductees into the 28th class of National Teachers Hall of Fame. When the Class of 2019 is added in June, it will bring to 140 the total number of individuals from across the nation who have been inducted since the inaugural Class of 1992.
He is only the second teacher from Nevada to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, joining the late John Snyder (Class of 2007), who also taught at A-TECH.
Since 1994, Knoeppel has been a teacher at CCSD, teaching architectural design at A-TECH. In addition to starting the computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) program at A-TECH, Knoeppel has helped build a nationally recognized program of study in architectural design there.
He learned he was going to receive this most recent prestigious honor during a surprise announcement in his classroom with CCSD officials, school staff, and National Teachers Hall of Fame representatives.
Knoeppel is a member of Nevada STEM Advisory Council, and Knoeppel has worked to develop CADD standards, curriculum and assessments for the State of Nevada. As the Nevada Teacher of the Year, he serves on the Education Advisory Board to the Nevada Superintendent, helping shape the course of Nevada education and having an impact on future generations.
His involvement in Nevada’s first Teach Plus Policy Fellow cohort allowed him to work with policy experts and develop bill draft request recommendations for the 2019 Nevada Legislature. Knoeppel also is a graduate of The Public Education Foundation’s Teacher Leader Academy.
