Skip To Main Content
Oakland Schools logo
Oakland county Outstanding Teacher of The Year 2026 logo

The Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards are presented annually to honor and reward teachers in Oakland County who have achieved, through their effort and example, the highest standards of excellence in their profession. Oakland Schools has created these awards out of a conviction that a quality public education system is essential to the health and vitality of our community. We believe that encouraging excellence in education is the shared responsibility of all who reap its benefits.

CONGRATULATIONS

2026 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Winners

2026 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Nominees

Early Childhood

Chen, Yi chun
The rainbow academy
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
GSPR PreK

Clemons, Doris
Avondale Early Learning Center
Avondale School District
4-Year Old Great Start Readiness Program

Ganz, Melanie
Oxford Early Learning Center
Oxford Community Schools
GSRP/PreK for All

Kawesa, Diane
Farmington Early Childhood Center
Farmington Public School District
Early Childhood, GSRP

Lila, Mimoza
West Bloomfield Preschool Academy
West Bloomfield School District Preschool

Murray, Malin
Lamphere Early Childhood Center
Lamphere Public Schools
Early Intervention

Nagy, Marybeth
Early Childhood Center
Royal Oak Schools
Blending Preschool

Schaal, Rebecca
Berkley Building Blocks
Berkley School District
GSRP Teacher

Thomas, Kelly
Early Childhood Center
Lake Orion Community Schools PreK/Early Childhood
Special Education

Elementary Schools

Caplan, Cheryl
Scotch Elementary
West Bloomfield School District
3rd grade

Carlson, Linda
Lone Pine Elementary
Bloomfield Hills Schools
Special Education

Crenshaw, Ernestine
Rogers Elementary School
Pontiac, School District of the City
2nd Grade

Frisk, Kristi
Bartlett Elementary School
South Lyon Community Schools
1st Grade

Gates, Megan
Madison Elementary
Madison District Public Schools
Learning Resource Room 1st-5th

Hack, Cassaundra
Wood Creek Elementary School
Farmington Public School District
Special Education Resource, All Subjects

Harding, Jayme
Harvey-Swanson Elementary
Brandon School District in the Counties of Oakland and Lapeer
Kindergarten

Jones, Amy
Woodland Elementary
Avondale School District
4th Grade all subjects

Kanous, Kathryn
Clawson Elementary School
Clawson Public Schools
3rd Grade

Kwas, Rikki
Rogers Elementary School
Berkley School District
2nd Grade

Maliepaard, Lindsey
Costello Elementary School
Troy School District
2nd Grade - All Subject

McArthur, Miranda
Addams Elementary School
Royal Oak Schools
4th Grade

Mitchell, Michael
Ferndale Upper Elementary school
Ferndale Public Schools
Grades 3 - 5 Physical Education

Schmidt, Mackenzie
Hiller Elementary
Lamphere Public Schools
4th Grade

Strong, Julianne
Davisburg Elementary
Holly Area School District
4th grade

Weckle, Valerie
Clear Lake Elementary
Oxford Community Schools
1st grade

Zimmerman, Barbara
Village Oaks Elementary
School Novi Community School District
Kindergarten 

Middle Schools

Austin, Mary
Norup International School
Berkley School District
7th Grade Math

Belli, Lindsay
West Bloomfield Middle School
West Bloomfield School District
Grade 6 Science

Bowman, Shannon
Royal Oak Middle School
Royal Oak Schools
Grades 6-8 Spanish

DeLamielleure, Nicole
Wilkinson Middle School
Madison District Public Schools
6th Grade Social Studies

Diacono, Roberta
Muir Middle School
Huron Valley Schools
Grade 6-8, Health, Digital Technology, Video Productions

Gilbert, Tammy
Boulan Park Middle School
Troy School District
6th Grade Science

Jones, Che'Keita
Ferndale Middle School
Ferndale Public Schools
6th, 7th and 8th Grades Math

Kaczanowski, Zachary
GATE
Avondale School District
Social Studies

Maxbauer, Jennifer
Walnut Creek Middle School
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Grades 6-8 ASD Self Contained Classroom

Mixon, George
Pontiac Middle School
Pontiac School District of the City
8th Grade Science

Schulze, Rebekah
Novi Middle School
Novi Community School District
7th and 8th Grade; German & US History

Sheldon, Jason
Brandon Middle School
Brandon School District in the Counties of Oakland and Lapeer
6-8 History

Simms, Elizabeth
Waldon Middle School
Lake Orion Community Schools
6-8 Choir Director

Skubik, Victoria
Holly Middle School at the Karl Richter Campus
Holly Area School District
6th/7th Grade English Language Arts

Sparks, James
Clawson Middle School
Clawson Public Schools
7th/8th Grade Science

Szymczak, Regina (Gina)
Power Middle School
Farmington Public School District
6th Grade Math

Taschner Griffin
Millennium Middle School
South Lyon Community Schools
7th and 8th Grades ELA and Mustang Hour (support class)

Veillette, Danelle
South Hills Middle School
Bloomfield Hills Schools
6th Grade ELA and World Cultures

Wilson, Laura
Oxford Middle School
Oxford Community Schools
6th, 7th, and 8th Grades Art and Ceramics

High Schools

Bovio, Anna
Lakeland High School
Huron Valley Schools
9-12 Grades Special Education

Brewer, Dana
Oxford High School
Oxford Community Schools
9-12 Grades Dance Conservatory Program & 10th grade ELA

Gizicki, Stephanie
Ferndale High School
Ferndale Public Schools
9 - 12 Grades Reading Intervention and AVID

Haas, Teresa (Terri)
Farmington Central High School Farmington Public School District
9th - 12th Grades Social Studies

Hensley, Lynn
South Lyon High School
South Lyon Community Schools
10-12 Grades Science: AP Chemisty, Analytical Chemistry

Hunt, Anna
Holly High School
Holly Area School District
9th - 12th Grade Family & Consumer Sciences

Jarema, Emily
Carroll Avondale High School
Avondale School District
Grades 9-12, English

Kramer, Kelly
International Technology Academy
Pontiac School District of the City of
Grades 9-12 ELA/Social Studies

Lyon, Emily
Lamphere High School
Lamphere Public Schools
Grade(s) and Subject(s) teaching - 10th and 12th grade English, 9th-12th Humanities, 9th-12th Creative Writing, and 10th/12th Careers in Education

Meyers, Stephanie
Walled Lake Central High School
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Career and Technical Education (CTE), Grades 9-12

Montgomery, Meredith
Berkley High School
Berkley School District
Spanish 2 & 3

Moyer, Stephanie,
Lake Orion High School
Lake Orion Community Schools
Grades 9-12, Social Studies

Nabozny, Jared
Hazel Park High School
Hazel Park Schools
Grade 9th-12th, Social Studies

Ricci, Stephanie,
Clarenceville HS
Clarenceville School District
Grade 9th-12th, ELA

Scott, Amy
Bloomfield Hills High School
Bloomfield Hills Schools
Grade 9-12 Health, Kinesiology, PE, Unified PE

Snyder, Alec
Royal Oak High School
Royal Oak Schools
9th Grade US History, 11th Grade AP World History

Stojanov, Ljiljana (Lily)
Novi High School
Novi Community School District
Biology/Co-Taught Biology/Co-Departmental Biology

View Our Past Teachers of the Year Since 2022

Search by Category

Search by Year

Chelsea Powers

Brandon Early Childhood Center
Brandon School District
Early Childhood, GSRP

  • 2026
Shelby McCumber

Orion Oaks Elementary
Lake Orion Community Schools
4th Grade, Teacher

  • 2026
Rachel Harwell

John Page Middle School
Lamphere Public Schools
8th Grade, Science

  • 2026
Christina Rick

Troy High School
Troy School District
Grades 9-12, ELD

  • 2026

Ceremony Gallery

A large group of people, mostly women, pose for a photo on outdoor steps in front of a modern glass building.
Supperintendent Kenneth Gutman with the TOY winners stand on a stage in front of a blue and green backdrop with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 text, while chairs are visible on either side.
Four women stand smiling in front of a blue and green backdrop that reads %22Oakland County Outstanding Teacher of the Year.%22
Four people stand on a stage in front of a blue and green backdrop with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 written on it, while an audience watches from the foreground.
Four people stand on a stage with a blue and green backdrop, two women in the foreground holding an award.
Four people stand on a stage in front of a blue and green backdrop with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 written on it, while an audience watches from the foreground.
Four people stand on a stage with a blue and green backdrop that reads %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year,%22 while an audience is visible in the foreground.
Six people stand on a stage in front of a blue curtain with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 written on it.
Three people stand on a stage in front of a blue and green curtain with %22Teacher of the Year%22 written on it, while an audience watches from the foreground.
four Outstanding Teacher of the Year winners sitting together outside of building
Five people stand in front of a backdrop with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 printed on it.
A family of five poses for a photo in front of a white backdrop with %22Outstanding Teacher of the Year%22 printed on it.
A blue banner listing nominees for Teacher of the Year stands in the foreground, with a round table adorned with a decorative centerpiece and a teal armchair visible in the blurred background.

Questions?

Questions regarding the program or event?
Contact Communication Services

Questions regarding the nomination process?
Contact
jessica.clarke@oakland.k12.mi.us. or jennifer.baxter@oakland.k12.mi.us