‘Essence of our mission.’ Muscogee County Teacher of the Year nominees announced
The Muscogee County School District 2026 Teacher of the Year will be one of the 53 nominees announced Thursday.
“These honorees reflect the essence of our mission to celebrate extraordinary teachers,” Wes Kelley, chairman of the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, which conducts the MCSD Teacher of the Year program, said in MEEF’s news release. “Their passion, innovation and dedication create meaningful learning experiences that benefit students and enrich our community.”
The nominees were chosen by their schools. MEEF’s selection committee, comprising local education and business leaders, will narrow the field to 10 semifinalists by evaluating their applications. Based on the committee’s interviews with the semifinalists, three finalists will be designated.
Then the committee will visit the classroom of each finalist and watch those teachers conduct a lesson to determine the winner, who will be announced at MEEF’s Teacher of the Year gala.
This year’s gala will be May 7 at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. The $70 tickets go on sale March 23 at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts box office.
MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by recognizing and rewarding innovative and exceptionally effective teachers in MCSD. The foundation has awarded more than $3.4 million to such educators during the past 30 years through financial incentives, including the Teacher of the Year program, the Harvard Fellows training, the Buntin Schools of Excellence training and a variety of grants.
Muscogee County School District 2026 Teacher of the Year nominees
- Aaron Cohn Middle School: Angela Moore
- Allen Elementary School: Bliss Wright
- Arnold Magnet Academy: Norell Combs
- Baker Middle School: Joy Moore
- Blackmon Road Middle School: Morgan Joiner
- Blanchard Elementary School: Sydney Poe
- Brewer Early Innovation Academy: Kanovva Jackson
- Britt David Magnet Academy: Missy Morgan
- Carver High School: Christopher Nance
- Clubview Elementary School: Chris Grier
- Columbus High School: Brendle Moyer
- Davis Elementary School: Tiffiny Rigsby
- Dimon Magnet Academy: Kimberly Grant
- Dorothy Height Elementary School: Madison Tappan
- Double Churches Elementary School: Lisa Blackmon
- Double Churches Middle School: Mandy Chase
- Downtown Elementary Magnet Academy: Alana Guevara
- Eagle Ridge Academy: Aubrey Smith
- East Columbus Magnet Academy: Denisha Mack
- Eddy Middle School: Anissa Alvarado
- Forrest Road Elementary School: LaQuanta Strickland
- Fort Service-Learning Magnet Academy: Jennifer Smith-Wood
- Fox Elementary School: Emily Graydon
- Gentian Elementary School: Miranda Zelaya
- Georgetown Elementary School: Heather Tribble
- Hannan Magnet Academy: Tiffany Powell
- Hardaway High School: Ja’Nyah Jefferson
- Johnson Elementary School: Gina Norris
- Jordan Vocational High School: Melvin Jackson
- Kendrick High School: Lola Farley
- Key Elementary School: Jessika Tye
- Lonnie Jackson Academy: Amber Marcus
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School: Carolyn Bingham
- Mary A. Buckner Academy: Valandria Burke
- Mathews Elementary School: Jaime Holmes
- Midland Academy: Thelma Odom
- Midland Middle School: Latasha Sharp
- North Columbus Elementary School: Oveyana Washington
- Northside High School: Bethani McNelly
- Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts: Matthew White
- Reese Road Elementary School: Gerald Schofield
- Richards Middle School: Monika Bishop-McElwee
- Rigdon Road Elementary School: Madison Lavender
- River Road Elementary School: Shannon Wooldridge
- Rothschild Leadership Academy: Teanna Flemister
- Shaw High School: Laquinta Gallishaw-Gonzalez
- South Columbus Elementary School: Tiffani Smith-Burch
- Spencer High School: Joshua Bowman
- St. Elmo Center for the Gifted: Courtney Philliips
- Veterans Memorial Middle School: Lyla Cook
- Waddell Elementary School: Khalilah Wallace
- Wesley Heights Elementary School: Carolyn Kirkland
- Wynnton Arts Academy: Kati Morrell
Inspiration from MCSD Teacher of the Year
Amanda Zarate, the 2025 MCSD Teacher of the Year, urged this year’s nominees during Thursday’s ceremony in Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter to cherish their achievement.
“It’s important to celebrate the work that you’ve done because no two stories are alike,” said Zarate, who teaches theater at Wynnton Arts Academy. “No two journeys to get to this point are the same.
“And that matters because, at some point, you may have wanted to quit. At some point, you may have cried. At some point, you may have asked yourself, ‘Why am I doing this?’
“This is one of the toughest jobs. It’s mentally exhausting, it’s emotionally draining, and it’s full of unexpected challenges, both professional and personal – but, boy, is it one of the most rewarding things that you will ever do.
“I encourage you to stay true to who you are and what makes you an amazing teacher. I encourage you to uplift those educators who are not in this room with us, being honored to this caliber, but you know that there’s something special in them.”
Inspiration from MCSD superintendent
MCSD superintendent David Lewis told the nominees, “I’m just so proud of each and every one of you for what you do, your commitment. … You are educators who truly represent the heart of our profession.
“Being nominated by your fellow colleagues and educators is a powerful affirmation because it reflects the excellence they see firsthand. Each one of you, every day, in the classrooms, in the hallways, on the ball field and in the school communities in general, you embody the highest standards and ideals of the teaching profession: dedication to students, a passion for teaching and learning, and unwavering commitment to helping every child succeed and reach their unlimited potential.”
Inspiration from MEEF executive director
MEEF executive director Marquette McKnight told the nomnees, “We stand in awe of what you do every day in your classroom. … I don’t know how y’all give and give and give to your students, how you pour into those lives. I do know that there is nobody who leaves a legacy in this world that’s more impactful than teachers, and that’s what we’re here to celebrate, to celebrate you as the classroom teacher.”
Inspiration from Teacher of the Year sisters
Christie Akers, the 2024 MCSD Teacher of the Year, had the joy of watching her sister, Kati Morrell, be announced Thursday as a nominee.
“It’s not about me anymore; it’s about her,” Akers, who teaches English at Northside High School, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We get to celebrate her now because what she does in her classroom is amazing.”
Morrell teaches first grade at Wynnton Arts Academy.
“I previously got to celebrate her,” she told the L-E, “and so now we get to kind of celebrate at the same time.”
Both graduated from Columbus High School, Akers in 1997 and Morrell in 2002, and both initially pursued careers outside of education.
Morrell worked for 10 years as an interior designer in Atlanta. But her interest in teaching stuck with her, so she earned certification through MCSD’s Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy, an alternative pathway for people who have a bachelor’s degree in another field to become certified in education faster and cheaper than going back to college.
In her ninth year as a teacher, Morrell has taught for three years at Wynnton and taught for six years at Forrest Road Elementary School.
“I love working with the kids,” she said.
Akers, in her 20th year as an educator, previously taught at Shaw High School and was the academic dean at Veterans Memorial Middle School before returning to the classroom at Northside. She worked as a corporate trainer for TSYS, then switched careers and earned a master’s degree in secondary education for English language arts.
“I loved the travel (while working for TSYS),” she said. “That was super fun, but I felt like, if I disappeared from that job, they could just replace me, and life would go on. So, to me, what I was doing didn’t serve a greater purpose, and I’m a very purpose-driven person, and so I just felt a calling to become a teacher, and that has been my purpose, and it has been the best decision I made.
“I work harder every single day than I did as a corporate trainer, but I have a lot more joy and a lot more laughs and a lot more fun.”
Akers calls her students “Loveys,” and Morrell calls her students “Legends,” and they share the commitment to make their classroom an inclusive environment.
“That’s how our family was,” Morrell said. “So, when I was seeing her teach, I saw her foster that in her kids. … It’s how we speak to our kids, how we respect our kids.”
Akers is in awe of how Morrell “can control a classroom of first-graders in a way that blows my mind. … To me, it feels like herding cats — really cute ones — and I don’t know how she does it, but she can have eyes in the back of her head and know what everybody’s doing and kindly get them where they need to be, and they’re happy, and they’re thriving.”
And they’re pen pals with Akers’ 12th-graders, so the Ledger-Enquirer asked these sisters what they would write to each other at this moment.
Akers said, “Dear Kati, I am so excited that now everybody can see what a beautiful and amazing soul you are and what a strong teacher you are. You are a gift to your students. Will you write me back? Check yes or no.”
Morrell replied, “Dear Pen Pal, I am so happy that we’re on the road together, that you get to coach me along this way and that we get to change lives together. And I love celebrating you, and I love what you do with your Loveys, and you have inspired what I do with my Legends, and we’re going to rock the rest of this year.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM.
