2023 Teacher of the Sylvia Soap Receives Car from Matthews Ford

Posted Date: 08/17/2023

When Sylvia Soap, the 2023 Pryor Public School Teacher of the Year, took her seat after speaking before her colleagues during the back-to-school staff meeting, she didn’t know that Dr. Lisa Muller, PPS Superintendent, would be announcing a special new item donated by Matthews Ford of Pryor. After Muller expressed her appreciation to the Pryor business community for over $2,500 in donations given to support the PPS Teacher of the Year, she invited representatives from Matthews Ford to the podium to present a surprised Soap with a brand new, blue Ford Bronco to drive during her term as PPS Teacher of the Year.

Cheers and applause from fellow educators filled the Burdick Center in support of Soap and in appreciation for the support shown to the faculty, district, and public education as a whole. Soap said, “I want to thank the wonderful town of Pryor for their generous donations for my Teacher of the Year celebration on Thursday. I received so many amazing things including the USE OF A NEW BRONCO from Matthews Ford for an entire year! Pryor Businesses, thank you for always supporting Pryor Public Schools!” 

Soap, who teaches 7th-grade science at Pryor Middle School was elected by the middle school faculty to compete for the district teacher of the year and after a mult-stepped application process, was selected by PPS administration as the 2023 teacher of the year. 

LECC Principal Leanne Ballard described Soap as a teacher who “values each individual and has a deep, solid moral ethic in the way others are valued in her school and her community. Our district believes these characteristics set the platform for great learning to take place.”   

Thank you to the following businesses for supporting Pryor Public Schools: