And the winner of the Muscogee County Teacher of the Year award is . . .
Chris Grier, who teaches physical education at Clubview Elementary School, is the Muscogee County School District 2026 Teacher of the Year.
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, which conducts MCSD’s Teacher of the Year program, announced the winner Thursday night during its annual gala. A sellout crowd of more than 1,100 people attended the event at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.
Each year, the staff at every MCSD school may nominate a teacher for this award. This year’s 53 nominees were announced in January during a ceremony in Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.
MEEF’s selection committee, comprising Columbus business and education leaders, evaluated the nominees’ applications to narrow the field to 10 semifinalists, announced March 4.
The committee interviewed the semifinalists to determine three finalists, announced March 27 as MEEF and MCSD officials made surprise classroom visits.
Then, to decide the winner, committee members observed the finalists teaching a lesson.
Background for MCSD Teacher of the Year Chris Grier
Grier has been a teacher for 11 years, all in MCSD and previously at Brewer Elementary School. He was born at Fort Benning and graduated from Columbus High School, CSU, North Georgia and Jacksonville State.
“I love kids,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer after he learned he had been selected as a finalist. “I love challenging kids, and I love bringing out potential in them that they may not even know they have. And at the elementary level, I’m able to help start that transformation at a young age, and hopefully that carries with them for the rest of their life and their school careers.”
Why Chris Grier was chosen at MCSD Teacher of the Year
MEEF’s 2026 MCSD Teacher of the Year Selection Committee members are:
- Gina Smith (chairwoman)
- Retired Maj. Gen. Dave Coburn
- Gena Davis (2022 MCSD Teacher of the Year finalist)
- Sheryl Green (2015 MCSD Teacher of the Year)
- Marquette McKnight
- Brittney Smith
- Erica Walker
“Chris understands that learning doesn’t just happen at a desk —it happens in movement, in teamwork and in the moments where students discover what they’re capable of,” McKnight said in a news release. “As a physical education teacher, his classroom is the gym — a space filled with energy, encouragement and opportunity. But beyond the games and activities, Mr. Grier uses that space to reinforce and extend the learning happening throughout the entire school.”
Grier partners with classroom teachers to support academic goals and help students apply skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving and perseverance, McKnight said.
“Whether it’s reinforcing structure, focus or collaboration, his impact reaches far beyond the gym,” she said. “In his class, students learn confidence. They learn resilience. They learn how to support one another and how to keep going when something feels difficult.”
Davis was impressed by Grier’s ability to connect with students.
“Chris creates an atmosphere where every student feels included and encouraged,” she said in the news release. “He understands that some of the most important lessons students learn happen through relationships, teamwork and overcoming challenges together. His energy, leadership and genuine care for students are felt the moment you walk into his classroom.”
Chris Grier’s teaching philosophy
During her remarks at the gala, McKnight shared with the audience some of what Grier told the selection committee in his application essays and in his interviews.
“I firmly believe,” Grier said, “that if students cannot learn the way we teach, then we must teach the way they learn.”
To foster creativity and growth, Grier designs activities where success is defined not by athletic ability but by communication, encouragement and decision-making. Students rotate through leadership roles and reflect together on how their actions impact others.
“The greatest reward in teaching for me is witnessing growth beyond physical skill,” he said. “It is seeing a student who once withdrew begin to engage. It is watching a child who struggled with belonging become a leader. It is knowing that, for some students, my class may be the only place they feel successful.”
Grier said he has learned that teaching is not about staying within the lines of a job description.
“It’s about stepping up when students need more patience, more boundaries, more belief,” he said. “It’s about being steady in places where everything else feels uncertain. Challenges do not push me away from education; they anchor me more deeply in it and clarify the kind of educator and leader I strive to be.”
What the MCSD Teacher of the Year honorees receive
During the gala, each of the 53 nominees was called onto the stage to receive a $100 honorarium and a framed certificate of recognition.
The 10 semifinalists received a $500 honorarium, a framed certificate of recognition and the opportunity to attend an all-expenses-paid week of professional development at Harvard University.
The three finalists received a $1,000 honorarium, a framed certificate of recognition and the Harvard Fellows opportunity.
And as the MCSD Teacher of the Year, Grier received a $5,000 honorarium, a framed certificate of recognition and the Harvard Fellows opportunity.
MEEF’s mission is to foster 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.
