SPS Teacher of the Year is a finalist for Missouri Teacher of the Year

 

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has announced Springfield Public Schools teacher Danielle O’Neil as a finalist for Missouri 2026 Teacher of the Year. 

O'Neil was named 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year for SPS earlier this year on May 2. She teaches kindergarten through fifth-grade physical education at Sherwood Elementary School and fourth and fifth-grade virtual physical education through Launch Virtual Learning. O'Neil has taught for a decade, starting her career with SPS at Pershing Middle School. She then taught at Delaware Elementary School for a year before transitioning to her current role at Sherwood.

O’Neil serves as a lead teacher for the district, and is a member of Sherwood’s leadership team and the district’s curriculum development team. She also serves on the Marketing and Communications Committee with the Missouri Society of Health and Physical Educators (MOSHAPE). In addition to her leadership roles, O’Neil presents regularly at district, state and national conferences to share best practices and advocate for high-quality health and physical education. 

Whether working with students, colleagues or preservice teachers, O’Neil is dedicated to fostering a lifelong love of movement and wellness. Her influence is grounded in the belief that physical education is essential to students’ physical, social and emotional development.

The Teacher of the Year selection process began with the nomination of nearly 500 teachers who represented 284 school districts statewide.