These 6 Muscogee County teachers will get a week of free training at Harvard
Six teachers who already were celebrated for being excellent educators in Columbus public schools have received another honor.
An all-expenses-paid trip will allow them to attend a week of training at one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges to become even better teachers for the Muscogee County School District.
During a news conference Thursday at Wynnton Arts Academy, the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation announced its 2026 Harvard Fellows:
- April Allen of Baker Middle School
- Heaven Briggs of Rothschild Leadership Academy
- Jennifer Parker of Lonnie Jackson Academy
- Charles Repass of Jordan Vocational High School
- Christi Scarbrough of Veterans Memorial Middle School
- Amanda Zarate of Wynnton Arts Academy
How Muscogee County’s Harvard Fellows are selected
MEEF selects the Harvard Fellows from a pool of semifinalists for the MCSD Teacher of the Year award during the past several years.
“Because of the generosity of donors, we’ve been able to continuously send teachers each year without having a big waitlist,” MEEF executive director Marquette McKnight told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We could not do that without sponsors of our Teacher of the Year program and our generous givers every year in our annual campaign.”
By the time these six 2026 Harvard Fellows complete their course June 22-26 at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, MEEF will have spent more than $930,000 for 104 MCSD teachers to attend this program since 2012, according to the foundation.
McKnight explained why the MEEF board thinks that’s a wise investment.
“These exceptional teachers return from Harvard energized and equipped with powerful strategies that strengthen teaching and learning across our district,” McKnight said in MEEF’s news release. “They don’t just impact their own classrooms — they share what they’ve learned with colleagues, lead professional development and serve as leaders in their schools. Their experience creates a ripple effect that benefits students throughout Muscogee County.”
Just ask MCSD superintendent David Lewis.
“MEEF remains one of MCSD’s most committed partners, consistently recognizing and uplifting our most exceptional teachers,” he said in the news release. “Through this powerful collaboration, our teachers gain access to world-class professional learning and meaningful growth opportunities at Harvard. This partnership is energizing our entire district and inspiring excellence in every classroom.”
Wynnton Arts Academy teacher Stacey McClary attended the program last year.
“Being a Harvard Fellow pushes you to think differently about how students learn and how we teach,” she said in the news release. “It’s not about quick fixes or trends. It’s about truly understanding how to help students think deeply, engage meaningfully and grow with confidence.”
What happens in Project Zero at Harvard
Project Zero, founded in 1967 by philosopher Nelson Goodman, tries to understand and nurture human potentials, such as learning, thinking, ethics, intelligence and creativity. Participants spend a week with preeminent scholars and other innovative teachers from around the world. Project Zero is designed to enhance the knowledge and expertise of teachers to:
- Recognize and develop students’ multiple intellectual strengths
- Encourage students to think critically and creatively
- Explore instructional methods that deepen student engagement, model intellectual curiosity and rigor and make learning more visible.
MEEF is a nonprofit organization in Columbus 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.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM.
