Logan named School District No. 2 Teacher of the Year

Big Horn County School District No. 2 recently honored middle school special education teacher Natalie Logan as its Teacher of the Year, recognizing an educator whose influence reaches beyond her classroom to students and staff throughout the district.

Lovell Middle School principal Lydia McCracken said Logan exemplifies excellence through her commitment to student achievement, professional growth and support for students and staff.

Although Logan serves as a special education teacher, she also plays a major role in the school’s data-informed instructional practices. Each week, she works with her professional learning community team to analyze student performance and develop Tier I, Tier II and Tier III interventions based on individual needs.

“Her ability to transform data into meaningful instructional decisions has positively influenced students across our entire building,” McCracken said.

The results can be seen in the growth of Logan’s students. McCracken described one student who entered her classroom lacking confidence and motivation but later recorded more than 100 points of growth on the WYTOPP Winter Interim Assessment and another 80 points on the summative assessment.

McCracken said those gains reflected Logan’s ability to connect with students academically and emotionally, building trust, resilience and a belief that success is possible.

Logan also helps students develop organizational and time-management skills. One student who initially struggled to organize materials, arrive on time or work independently finished the year prepared for approximately 85% of classes, completing assignments independently and showing substantial gains on district and state assessments.

Her influence extends throughout the district. Logan designs professional development based on student data, mentors, teachers and paraprofessionals and provides guidance on English language arts instruction and classroom interventions. McCracken described her as the district’s “go-to professional” for English language arts, particularly as teachers implement new literacy expectations in grades six through 12.

Logan recently completed her master’s degree and continues to strengthen her teaching through professional development and educational research. She has also explored using artificial intelligence to help educators collect and analyze student data more efficiently.

“Natalie Logan is an exceptional educator whose influence reaches students, teachers, families and the broader educational community,” McCracken said. “I can think of no educator more deserving of this recognition.”