An award-winning Kansas teacher has been sentenced to prison for attempted unlawful sexual relations with students.

On Thursday, Keil E. Hileman, 53, received a 24-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted unlawful sexual relations, according to Fox 4 KC.

Hileman, a teacher at Monticello Trails Middle School in Shawnee, was charged in October 2022 with six counts of unlawful sexual relations stemming from incidents that occurred between June 2017 and October 2022. The charges involved “fondling or touching a person 16 years or older.”

Five counts were related to incidents with the same student occurring between June 2017 and July 2018, while the sixth count involved a second student between September 3 and October 4, 2022, according to KMBC.

Hileman was well-regarded for his teaching. Collin Montgomery, a 2021 graduate and former student, described Hileman’s class as highly sought after.

“He was really cool. He told us interesting stories. He had a family,” Montgomery said. “He seemed like a really nice guy on the surface; it’s just kind of crazy.”

In 2004, Hileman was named Kansas Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for National Teacher of the Year that same year. He was inducted into the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2010.

Additionally, Hileman received the “Chasing Rainbows Award” from Dolly Parton in 2010 for a teacher who overcame adversity. He was also recognized as a LifeChanger of the Year nominee in 2019-2020.

Hileman will serve two years in prison and, upon his release, will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

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[Feature Photo: Keil E. Holman/Johnson County Jail]