Moody SOE Graduate Named Texas Student Teacher of the Year
Bella Buncher, BSEd ’25, is the seventh Baylor intern in nine years to be named Texas Clinical Teacher of the Year.
Bella Buncher, a May 2025 Baylor University graduate with a BSEd from the School of Education (SOE), was honored as 2025 Clinical Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas for excellence in classroom teaching during her student-teaching experience while a senior at Baylor. Buncher is the seventh Moody School of Education teacher-intern to receive this award in the last nine years it has been presented.
Certified in elementary education, Buncher was a student teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in Waco ISD and taught in two third-grade classrooms, interning with Jessica Washington for English, language, and reading arts and Alexandra Ronnenberg for science and mathematics. It was a full-circle moment for Ronnenberg, B.S.Ed. ’21, who received the statewide award in 2021 for her student teaching, also at Hillcrest Elementary.
The prestigious award was presented by the Texas Directors of Field Experience, an organization of university faculty who supervise teacher-education field experiences, during a statewide meeting of the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education. A panel of expert judges reviewed nominees’ materials, including their essays on the teaching profession, unedited classroom teaching videos, and recorded self-reflections on their teaching.
Buncher’s Baylor faculty field supervisor, Darlene Bolfing, said she “brings warmth and enthusiasm into the classroom, which leads to a very productive environment” and that her “hands-on and student-centered” lessons signaled to students that she was there to help them learn.
Prepared to teach
Buncher is now a second-grade teacher at Sawnee Elementary School in Alpharetta, Georgia. She grew up in Southlake, Texas, and planned to teach in the state, but when her fiancé got a job offer in Georgia, they decided to take on the challenge.
“When we decided to move to Georgia, I thought, ‘No matter where I am, it’s going to be new, and teaching is teaching,’” she said. “Baylor prepared me more than I could have ever imagined. On my first day, I did feel nervous, but I also felt a lot of peace knowing that I’d done this before. Even though it is technically my first year of teaching, I have already taught for a full year. I was definitely ready.”
Ronnenberg, reflecting on her first year as a mentor teacher hosting a Baylor student, said that Buncher was “nothing short of phenomenal from day one” at Hillcrest, building meaningful connections with every student in the classroom.
“One of my favorite moments from the year was Bella’s lesson on multiplying using a number line. To bring the concept to life, she wore a frog onesie and had the students ‘hop’ along the number line together. It was not only incredibly fun but also an effective and memorable learning experience for the kids,” she said. “Watching Bella grow in confidence and skill throughout her internship was such a joy. Having her win the same award I once received was a truly special, full-circle moment that I will always cherish.”
Buncher is grateful for the guidance she received from faculty and mentors and said the extensive in-classroom time sets Baylor apart.
“I truly learned so much from my mentor teachers, and I use so much of that knowledge every day in my classroom,” she said.
“Best thing ever”
Although her mother was a teacher, Buncher was uncertain of her own path when she arrived at Baylor in fall 2021, so she signed up for classes in both business and education.
“In the first education class, I knew this is where I’m meant to be, and I saw the Lord calling me,” she said, even though COVID restrictions meant the normal tutoring of local students, which is part of the Introduction to Education course, was mostly online that semester.
“Even though it was online, I loved every second of meeting with my little first-grader,” Buncher said. “She was so amazing and made me laugh and smile. “I thought, ‘If one student can have this big of an impact on me, imagine the impact of 20.’ I’ll never forget when we got to go to the school for one day. We had to wear a mask, but we got to meet our students. Being in the school was just the best thing ever, and meeting my student was the highlight of my freshman year.”
Buncher said she loved her overall Baylor experience, especially the encouragement she felt to grow in her faith and the “giant community” of Baylor.
“The academics are really great, but I also think that Baylor produces great people,” she said. “Everyone comes out of Baylor changed for the better.”
Recent award recipients from Baylor School of Education:
Texas Student Teacher of the Year Award:
- Bella Buncher, B.S.Ed. ’25
- Ashlyn Bergethon, B.S.Ed. ’24
- Debbie Chou, B.S.Ed. ’23
- Alexandra Ronnenberg, B.S.Ed. ’21
- Lauren Hornbeak, B.S.Ed. ’19
- Rachel Vaughn, B.S.Ed. ’17
- Stephanie Wright, B.S.Ed. ’16, MSEd ’17
*No award was given in 2020 due to COVID-19.
National Student Teacher of the Year Award:
- Ashlyn Bergethon, B.S.Ed. ’24
- Emily Blackwell, B.S.Ed. ’22
- Lauren Hornbeak, B.S.Ed. ’19