Skip To Main Content

TOY Honoree Page

2026-2027 ACS Teachers of the Year

McKenzie Thomas
Athens Elementary School
 
Emma Holland
FAME Academy at Brookhill Elementary School
 
Diane Trout
Julian Newman Elementary School
 
Brooke Jaep
SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary School
 
Abigail Archer
Athens Intermediate School
 
Allie Barnes
Athens Middle School
 
Jillian Chappell
Athens Renaissance School
 
Joseph Illg
Renaissance Virtual School
 
Canna Ricketts
Athens High School
 
TOY 2026 All

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 17, 2026, 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 2026 Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet. 

IMPORTANT 2026 DATES & DEADLINES

Friday, October 2
Tuesday, October 6
Friday, October 30
Tuesday, November 17
  • Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet begins promptly at 6:00 pm (please arrive by 5:35 PM for group/table photos)
 

TICKETS AND SEATING

We know you will want to celebrate your special night with your closest friends and family by your side. 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 30. Please note that it is common for each TOY to invite their school principal(s). If you plan to do so, please include their name(s) among 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, mindful of your busy schedule and the work of shaping students' hearts and minds 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 Tuesday, October 6. 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 provided in The News Courier profile, along with the headshot, will also be used to produce the printed program for the banquet and other publicity materials. You are welcome to submit a high-quality photo (a school photo is great), or Christy can come to your school to take one. Photos are due to Christy by Friday, October 2. Please either email Christy a high-quality photo or schedule a time for Christy to take a photo before October 2. 
 

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW VIDEO

As part of the evening celebration, 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: Please schedule your Teacher Spotlight Interview Session by Friday, October 2.
 
Your on-camera interview will occur between Monday, October 11, and Thursday, October 29. This session should be scheduled around your planning (include either 30 minutes before or after your planning). Please indicate your 2 preferred time windows on the Google Form. Christy Hubbard will schedule and send you a calendar invite. 
 
  • We will conduct an on-camera interview with each TOY.  This should be recorded in a quiet place for just you and the interviewer (Christy). Typically, your classroom is an ideal place during your planning window. Interview questions will be sent prior to the interview so that you will have time to prepare. This filming will take approximately 20 minutes.
  • 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 video interview. This filming will take approximately 15 minutes.
  • We will interview three students on-camera. This occurs during class time, either before or 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 briefly prepare them beforehand. Christy will ask the students what makes 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 10 minutes.

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 the information above, please do not hesitate to reach out to Christy at 256.233.6602 (office), 256.431.5294 (cell), or christy.hubbard@acs-k12.org.
There are no resources or collections to display