A Norman High School Spanish teacher has been named a recipient of the 2026 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence by the nonprofit Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.
Darcy Pippins, Norman High world languages department chair, will be formally honored at the Academic Awards Celebration on May 2 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
The award is given to exceptional teachers for their passion and innovation, commitment to professional growth and extraordinary impact on student learning, according to the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Pippins has worked for NPS for 28 years, during which she helped launch an elementary Spanish program that was awarded the global engagement initiative award in 2016 by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
During her time at OU, Pippins explored majors in art and pharmacy before deciding on Spanish. Without any student teaching experience, she then passed the teacher certification test and was hired at Norman High in 1998 as an alternative certified teacher.
Pippins said she aims to teach her students the importance of learning about culture and society when studying a language.
“I don’t just focus on Spanish,” said Pippins. “I’m teaching Spanish, but they’re learning the history, or they’re learning the geography, or they’re learning about the food, the culture.”
As a finalist for the same award last year, Pippins was familiar with the nomination process. However, she did not anticipate she would win this year.
“They were talking about this wonderful teacher and this award, and then they say my name,” Pippins recalled. “I was in total shock. It's a great honor and I’m extremely excited.”
Pippins said she hopes the award will give her a platform to make an impact.
Pippins has previously been named Oklahoma World Language Teacher of the Year, Southwest Regional World Language Teacher of the Year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Pippins is also a National Board Certified Teacher, former president of the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers’ Association and current NPS Spanish Language Academy advisory board member.
At the Academic Awards Celebration, Pippins will receive a $5,000 reward, a medallion and a commemorative sculpture.
Pippins is excited for the future of world languages and hopes Oklahoma will be ready to make language learning a priority again.
“Darcy Pippins exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional educator,” said Superintendent Nick Migliorino in a release from NPS. “Her influence extends far beyond her classroom, shaping future educators and opening doors for students across our district.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure. Larkin Bock and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
