Well, the 2026 Nevada State Teacher of the Year has been named.

Can I get a drum roll, please?

[drum roll] It's fitting that I'm asking for a drum roll because she just so happens to be a music teacher.

Ali Jun is the music teacher to more than 900 students at Tyrone Thompson Elementary School, and it was her students who helped surprise her when the big announcement was made.

Mrs.

Jun has been with the district for nearly 20 years.

And I got the chance to stop by one of her music classes, and what I witnessed was, well, music to my ears.

(Ali Jun) When you conduct, you are in charge.

-From becoming mini conductors with glow sticks... -Up, down, in, out.

-...to reading rhythms with the Monsters, Inc.

theme.

-It sounds like this: [drum beat] So the kids today have to help me save myself from Randall, because I'm Boo, and they'll be reading rhythms and having to work together to figure out the correct rhythm to make the puzzle pieces to put Randall together.

-Mrs.

Jun's music lessons are always an adventure.

(Jermon Farmer) She always tries her best to make every music lesson fun, and it always ends up in a fun activity and us having a fun time.

-Now, conduct however you feel it!

I teach melody, harmony, playing instruments.

I run choirs, so a lot of vocal technique.

We have Boomwhackers.

-Wait.

A boom, what?

-Ooh, Boomwhackers are tuned percussion instruments that are really fun for the kids to play and experiment and improvise with.

It's great.

[Boomwhackers] -Spending just a few minutes inside Mrs.

Jun's fabulous music themed classroom... -Music is a universal language.

It's everywhere, and it's such a big world to explore.

-...it's easy to see why she was named the 2026 Nevada State Teacher of the Year.

-You know, she is the best teacher.

She deserves this.

(Mia) She cares about other people.

She makes learning fun.

-And this fun music teacher plans to continue inspiring future generations of musicians and music teachers for years to come.

-I want them to know that music and teachers and education is a safe place for them to be who they want to be, to figure out where they want to accomplish or what their goals are.

I think it's really important that students know how much their teachers really, really care about them and want them to succeed.

Guys, you're all reading music.

Like, not everybody can read music.

Give yourself a pat on the back.

Say "I'm a rock star!"

-I'm a rock star!

-Thank you for letting me join choir and teaching me how to play music.

-[scatting] Yeah!

That was beautiful, wasn't it?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

-I had so much fun.

Gotta love those Boomwhackers.

Big congratulations again to Mrs.

Jun.

So well deserved.

And congratulations are also in order to two other CCSC finalists, Scott Fieux, intermediate autism teacher at William R. Lummis Elementary School and Vasti Mejia, kindergarten teacher at Richard J. Rundle Elementary School.

Congratulations.