A Nonprofit Organization Supporting Teachers and Students
2025 TOY Honoree Page
The Athens City Schools Foundation congratulates you for being selected as Teacher of the Year (TOY) for your school! Being named Teacher of the Year by your peers is a great honor. We are excited to celebrate your accomplishment at the annual Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet, which will be held on November 18, 2025, at the Alabama Veterans Museum. We know you are excited as well, and that you have questions. The purpose of this page is to serve as a one-stop shop for information related to the 2025 Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet.
IMPORTANT 2025 DATES & DEADLINES
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October 3
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Teacher of the Year Headshot due to Christy.Hubbard@acs-k12.org (email Christy asap if you need her to come to your school to take a photo).
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October 3
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Teacher of the Year Profile information due
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October 3
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Deadline to schedule your Teacher Spotlight Video Interview
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October 24
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Deadline to submit the names of your (7) guests
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November 18
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Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet begins promptly at 6:00 pm (please arrive by 5:35 PM for photos)
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TICKETS AND SEATING
We know that you will want to celebrate your special night with your closest friends and family beside you. Each Teacher of the Year will have a reserved table for you and (7) guests of your choice. Please contact us directly if you have any special seating needs or dietary restrictions. To reserve your tickets, complete the Guest List Form by Friday, October 24. Please note that it is common for each TOY to invite their school principal(s). If you plan to do so, please be sure to include their name(s) as one of your seven guests.
WHAT TO EXPECT AS TEACHER OF THE YEAR
As part of celebrating you as Teacher of the Year, we will work together to produce two interviews: one for print and one for video. We have worked to make this process as simple as possible, as we are very mindful of your busy schedule, shaping the hearts and minds of students each day.
TEACHER PROFILE
Our partners at The News Courier will publish a Teacher of the Year Series featuring the profile of each TOY. We ask that you please complete your Teacher Profile Interview Questions by Friday, October 3. We will let you know the dates that the series will be published. See an example of a TOY profile.
PROFILE PHOTO OR "HEADSHOT"
In addition to the TOY profile, a profile photo (headshot) will be needed for The News Courier series. The responses given in the The News Courier profile, along with the headshot, will also be used to produce the printed program for the banquet and other publicity. You are welcome to submit a high-quality photo image (a school photo is great) or Christy can come to your school to take a photo. Photos are due to Christy by Friday, October 3. Please either send Christy Hubbard a high-quality photo or email her to schedule a time before October 1 to take a photo.
SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW VIDEO
As part of the event celebration on the evening of the banquet, we will share a short video highlighting each Teacher of the Year. To get an idea of what the finished video product looks like, check out last year’s TOY Video.
Video Session: Your on-camera interview will occur between Tuesday, October 14, and Friday, October 29. Please schedule your Teacher Spotlight Interview Session by Friday, October 3. Your video session should be scheduled around your planning (include either 30 minutes before your planning or 30 minutes after your planning). Please indicate your 2 preferred windows of time on the Google Form. Christy Hubbard will schedule and send you a calendar invite.
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We will conduct an on-camera interview with each TOY. This should be recorded in a quiet place for just the TOY and the interviewer (Christy). Typically, your classroom during planning is ideal. Interview questions will be sent prior to the interview so that you will have time to prepare. This filming will take approximately 20 minutes.
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We will take short video footage of your students and your classroom at work. This piece will be a video-only (no audio) of you, in your element, teaching and interacting with students. This will occur either before or after your planning/video interview. This filming will take approximately 15 minutes.
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We will interview three students on-camera. This occurs during class time, after we take the class video footage. This interview is conducted in either the hallway, library or wherever works best in your building. Please select three students to be interviewed, and prepare them briefly beforehand. Christy will ask the students about the things that make you a special teacher. The student interview will be independent of your interview - we want the words they share about you to be a surprise! This filming will take approximately 15 minutes.
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STATE TEACHER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM
The official State of Alabama Teacher of the Year program is administered through the Office of Curriculum and Instruction and is separate from the Foundation event (Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet). For questions regarding the State of Alabama Teacher of the Year Program, please contact the Athens City Schools Curriculum Director, Mr. Garner Ezell, at garner.ezell@acs-k12.org.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about any of the above information, please do not hesitate to reach out to Christy at 256.233.6602 (office), 256.431.5294 (cell) or christy.hubbard@acs-k12.org.
2025-2026 ACS Teachers of the Year
KATIE DEEN
Julian Newman Elementary School
BEN TUCKER
Athens Middle School
KATIE WALKER
FAME Academy at Brookhill Elementary School
REBECCA GLADNEY
Athens Elementary School
KENNEDY LEOPARD
Renaissance Virtual School
RACHAEL KNOX
SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary School
JENNY JOHNSTONE
Athens Renaissance School
MICHAEL MAY
Athens High School
ASHLEY BOUTWELL
Athens Intermediate School
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