Married couple makes Muscogee County history as Teacher of the Year nominees revealed
For the first time in Muscogee County School District history, a married couple are their school’s Teacher of the Year at the same time.
Hannah and Brian Walker are among the 55 nominees for the MCSD 2023 Teacher of the Year award.
She teaches kindergarten at River Road Elementary School. He teaches band, music technology and Advanced Placement music theory at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts.
They beamed as they watched each other come on stage while Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation executive director Marquette McKnight announced the honorees during Wednesday’s ceremony in Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in downtown Columbus.
“He just amazes me,” Hannah said about Brian. “He will go to the Moon and back for his kids to make sure they get what they need and the education they deserve. I love learning from him. … He encouraged me to go get my master’s, which I didn’t know that I could do, but he saw it in me. … He’s just, he’s my cheerleader. Then, in the same way, he’s a cheerleader for his kids.”
Brian described Hannah as a “phenomenal kindergarten teacher. … How cool that sometimes we can just exist in our classroom and then we both get to exist in our schools as the Teacher of the Year and also in the district to do professional development with our colleagues to do more for our students.”
They serve on MCSD’s personalized learning initiative committee. They also lead a bible study group at St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
“It’s really special to be married to a teacher because we both laugh and say, ‘Nobody really understands a teacher like a teacher,’” Hannah said.
How they celebrated
They learned during the same week in November that they are the Teacher of the Year for their respective schools. So, a few days after eating at their favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate Hannah’s honor, they returned for a second meal there to celebrate Brian’s honor as well.
“Our families exploded on both sides,” Brian said. “They were equally excited.”
The Walkers say they became teachers because of the positive impact they can make in the lives of their students.
“It is magical,” Hannah said. “… I adore being part of the process to help kids fall in love with learning.”
“I realized on a deeper level how music is one of those things that can reach everyone,” Brian said. “Maybe they don’t show up to school for core subjects, but music is why they come back. … You teach a student different life skills and character traits. I use music.
“Someone else uses math,” he continued. “Someone else uses science. But having that kid-centered focus has made it where we both view what we do as a very large-scale, life-changing endeavor, not just like, ‘We like teaching because teaching’s fun and we get the summers off.’”
Hannah, 27, graduated from Georgia College & State University with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. She earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Columbus State University. She previously taught at North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw, Georgia, where she graduated in 2013.
Brian, 30, graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in music education. He previously taught music for four years at Jordan Vocational High School. He earned a master’s degree in conducting from CSU. He graduated from Savannah Arts Academy in 2011.
They met while in college through a mutual friend.
“It worked out really well for about a month and a half, and then we didn’t speak for four years,” Brian said. “I ended up playing trumpet in her church in Kennesaw. We bumped into each other in the lobby, and now we’re married.”
Honoring teachers in style
MCSD superintendent David Lewis thanked the foundation for conducting the program and congratulated the teachers for representing “the best of our profession. … The fact that you were selected by your peers makes this recognition all the more special.”
Foundation chairman Josh Reynold said, “It is a privilege for MEEF to honor these outstanding educators. Our Teacher of the Year honorees have an extraordinary impact in the lives of MCSD students. Their passion and commitment to education is remarkable, and they are transforming our community every day.”
Each MCSD school’s faculty may nominate a teacher to compete for the district’s Teacher of the Year award. MEEF’s selection committee evaluates the applications and chooses 10 semifinalists to interview. Committee members pick three finalists to observe in their classroom. The winner is announced during the foundation’s annual gala.
This year’s gala is scheduled for May 4 in the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. The $50 tickets go on sale March 21 at the RiverCenter box office.
MCSD 2023 TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
Elementary schools
Allen: Cameron Cox
Blanchard: Amy Martin
Brewer: Jalisa Brown
Britt David: Ashley Sykes
Clubview: Tori Culverhouse
Davis: Alpheia Peterson
Dawson: Kendra Hill
Dimon: Renate Golden
Dorothy Height: Jamisha Harrison
Double Churches: Rebecca Levan
Downtown: Tanisha Branford Johnson
Eagle Ridge: Kacey Brown
Forrest Road: Jennifer Ferring
Fox: Tyla Howard
Gentian: Carley Gray
Georgetown: Anthony Kennebrew
Hannan: Nick Jones
Johnson: Tori Enfinger
Key: Sophia Nicholson
Lonnie Jackson: Nicole Burkes
Martin Luther King Jr.: Jennifer Alexander
Mathews: Nicole Radney
Midland: Amanda Duncan
North Columbus: Carra Glenn
Reese Road: De’Shon McNeill
Rigdon Road: Minyon Scott
River Road: Hannah Walker
South Columbus: Evelyn Blalock
St. Marys Road: Tasha Morman
Waddell: Alesha Gierhart
Wesley Heights: Carrie O’Neal
Wynnton: Stefanie Johnson
Middle schools
Aaron Cohn: John Bolles
Arnold: Suezette Baker
Baker: Deborah Goss
Blackmon Road: Christen Bridges
Double Churches: Josh Evans
East Columbus: Robert Wilson
Eddy: Elliot Reid
Fort: Teairra Johnson
Midland: Ebony McNeill
Richards: Charlene Greene
Rothschild: David Buxton
Veterans: Claudia Curbelo
High schools
Carver: Tracy Green
Columbus: Patricia Willis
Hardaway: Paige Garrett
Jordan: Malissa Jones
Kendrick: Jatorey Daniel
Northside: Chera Riles
Shaw: Ashley Lamar
Spencer: Tammie Brown
Others
Marshall Success Center: Ter’rence Jones
Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts: Brian Walker
St. Elmo Center for the Gifted: Judy Woods.
SELECTION COMMITTEE
The selection committee members are:
Josh Reynolds (chairman), TSYS/Global Payments enterprise automation director
Rita Ellis, Key 2 Wall Street managing partner
Mandy Flynn, Aflac Foundation manager of corporate social responsibility
Sheryl Green, MCSD 2015 Teacher of the Year
Marquette McKnight, Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation executive director and Media, Marketing and More CEO
Lisa Seegar, MCSD 2021 Teacher of the Year
Paula Shaw-Powell, retired MCSD principal
Dacia Sheffield, MCSD 2019 Teacher of the Year
Gina Smith, Coldwell Banker KPDD realtor
Ty Webb, W.C. Bradley Real Estate development manager.
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 4:30 PM.
