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VCS announces 2027 Teacher of the Year nominees
Oct. 27, 2025 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

VCS announces 2027 Teacher of the Year nominees 

DELAND—Volusia County Schools is excited to announce the 70 nominees for our 2027 Teacher of the Year. The nominees, who were selected by their peers, will be recognized on Nov. 17 at Melching Field at Conrad Park in DeLand. 

“These nominees remind us that the true measure of a teacher is found in the lives they transform,” Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin said. “Their dedication shapes futures, strengthens communities, and inspires excellence across Volusia County.”

 Teacher 

School 

Rafael Valle 

Atlantic High School 

Jordan Kalkhurst 

Beachside Elementary School 

Gina Klimas 

Blue Lake Elementary School 

Bree’Shawn S. Watson 

Campbell Middle School 

Annissa C. Clute 

Champion Elementary School 

Christine Baird 

Chisholm Elementary School 

Amy Derstine 

Citrus Grove Elementary School 

Meaghan O’Dwyer 

Coronado Beach Elementary School 

Heather Cabaniss 

Creekside Middle School 

Trisha Bray 

Cypress Creek Elementary School 

Caitlin Caroline Spencer 

David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle School 

Leah Miller 

DeBary Elementary School 

Robert Rizzo III 

DeLand High School 

Christian Ricketts 

DeLand Middle School 

Anthony Saunders 

Deltona High School 

Oscar Hernandez 

Deltona Lakes Elementary School 

Dainise Cruz Cruz 

Deltona Middle School 

Daniel Montero Reyes 

Discovery Elementary School 

Jennifer May 

Edgewater Public School 

Lisa Ann Kolmetz 

Edith I. Starke Elementary School 

Lynne Gregory 

Enterprise Elementary School 

Amanda Andrews 

Forest Lake Elementary School 

Charles Madden 

Freedom Elementary School 

Asia Pratt 

Friendship Elementary School 

Matthew Pellegrino 

Galaxy Middle School 

Kristin Pegler 

George W. Marks Elementary School 

John Holland 

Heritage Middle School 

Lisette Nazario-Lamplugh 

Highbanks Learning Center 

Stefanie Friedman 

Holly Hill Elementary School 

Vada Lay 

Horizon Elementary School 

Patricia Crouse 

Indian River Elementary School 

Amy Hagopian 

Louise S. McInnis Elementary School 

Steven Clem 

Mainland High School 

Jessica Riggs 

Manatee Cove Elementary School 

Clifford Weisheimer 

New Smyrna Beach High School 

Cynthia Resner 

New Smyrna Beach Middle School 

Nicole Stafford 

Orange City Elementary School 

Leslye Grossmann 

Ormond Beach Elementary School 

Nancy Parris 

Ormond Beach Middle School 

Don Holt 

Osteen Elementary School 

Daria Williams 

Palm Terrace Elementary School 

Stacy Sampson 

Pathways Elementary School 

Jolie Kelly 

Pierson Elementary School 

Leland Wilbert 

Pine Ridge High School 

Sara Giunta 

Pine Trail Elementary School 

Tara Thomas 

Port Orange Elementary School 

Amber Swindle 

Pride Elementary School 

Erika Kazma 

R.J. Longstreet Elementary School 

Marcela Donoso Tombley 

Read-Pattillo Elementary School 

Kristine Baker 

River Springs Middle School 

Celena D. Tillman-Stephens 

Riverview Learning Center 

Chris Palau 

Seabreeze High School 

Eric Nord 

Silver Sands Middle School 

Angela Moller 

South Daytona Elementary School 

Bernadette Bryant 

Southwestern Middle School 

JoAnna Elliot 

Spirit Elementary School 

Danielle Sinatra 

Spruce Creek Elementary School 

Danyalle Miles 

Spruce Creek High School 

Amanda Cerda 

Sugar Mill Elementary School 

Melissa Scorpio 

Sunrise Elementary School 

Amy Longstreet 

Sweetwater Elementary School 

S. Shea Osterkamp 

T. DeWitt Taylor Middle-High School 

Beth Vanderkooi 

Timbercrest Elementary School 

Jacqueline Chartier 

Tomoka Elementary School 

Vernell Williams-Spar 

Turie T. Small Elementary School 

LaSandria F. Joseph 

University High School 

Stacey L. Horn 

Volusia Online Learning 

Jamie Carlson 

Volusia Pines Elementary School 

Timothy Mills 

Westside Elementary School 

Kathryn Goble 

Woodward Avenue Elementary School 

What’s next? 

The top five finalists, who are chosen by a committee of parents, business partners, community members, teachers, and administrators, will be announced before Thanksgiving. 

The winner will be announced on Jan. 10 during a banquet, presented by the FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools and sponsored by AdventHealth, at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. 

Who is the current Teacher of the Year? 

Jeremy Davies of Spruce Creek High School is our 2026 Teacher of the Year. Davies is an International Baccalaureate (IB) math teacher and also serves as the head coach of both the Spruce Creek boys’ and girls’ tennis teams. He has taught in Volusia County Schools since 2018 and at Spruce Creek High School, his alma mater, since 2019. 

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Volusia County Schools’ vision is to create life-long learners prepared for an ever-changing global society. The VCS Strategic Plan: www.vcsedu.org/strategic-plan

Media Contact: 

Danielle Johnson, Coordinator 
Community Information Services 
Volusia County Schools 386-734-7190, ext. 20234 

Media Contact:

Community Information Services
Volusia County Schools
communityinformationservices@groups.volusia.k12.fl.us
(386) 734-7190 ext. 20230