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Columbus State University News

Columbus State grads dominate list of 2026 Muscogee County Teacher of the Year honorees

February 3, 2026

A group of approximately twenty-four educators poses for a group photo on a multi-tiered stage in a theater or auditorium. They are dressed in a variety of professional and business-casual attire, ranging from patterned dresses and blazers to sweaters and button-down shirts. The group is arranged across four rows, smiling at the camera. The background features warm wooden paneling and deep red stage curtains, creating a formal and celebratory atmosphere.

Half of this year’s Teacher of the Year honorees from the Muscogee County School District proudly display degrees from Columbus State University on their walls. What’s even more impressive is that several of these exceptional educators boast multiple degrees from the university.

The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (MEEF), which coordinates the annual Teacher of the Year selection and recognition process on the school system’s behalf, announced this year’s honorees on Jan. 29 in the university’s Schwob School of Music Legacy Hall. Of the 53 educators named teachers of the year by their respective schools, 26 are Columbus State graduates.

“This program is about more than awards,” explained Marquette McKnight, the foundation’s executive director. “It’s about recognition, respect and gratitude for the people who show up every day and make a real difference in the lives of our children. When we invest in great teachers, the impact reaches far beyond the classroom. It shapes our entire community.”

Annually, staff at each MCSD school select their school’s teacher of the year. Those school-level honorees then become nominees for district-level teacher of the year honors. MEEF’s selection committee, comprising Columbus business and education leaders, evaluates applications to narrow the field to 10 semifinalists. The committee then interviews the semifinalists to select its three finalists, who it then observes in the classroom to determine its top teacher for that year.

MEEF will announce the district-level 2026 Teacher of the Year winner at its annual gala on Thursday, May 7, at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center. The $70 tickets will go on sale March 23 at the RiverCenter Box Office.

Several Columbus State graduates have recently gone on from their school-level honors to be awarded the district’s Teacher of the Year award, including:

According to the Muscogee County School District, more than half of the system’s 5,500 educators, school counselors and administrators hold degrees from Columbus State. That is due in part to its “CSU Teaching Contract Guarantee” partnership launched in 2019. The guarantee ensures a system teaching contract for any Columbus State teacher education graduate who passes the student teaching component of their degree and who meets Georgia Professional Standards Commission induction certification requirements.

Students can pursue or deepen their teaching, counseling and leadership careers in the university’s College of Education & Health Professions, which offers a wide range of in-person, fully online or hybrid programs for aspiring elementary, secondary and higher education professionals. Those programs lead to bachelor’s (B.S.Ed.), master of arts in teaching (M.A.T.), educational specialist (Ed.S.), and doctorate in education (Ed.D.) degrees. Students can also pursue graduate-level add-on certificates and endorsements.

2026 Muscogee County School District Teachers of the Year who are Columbus State alumni:

  • Anissa Alvarado ’16, ’19, Eddy Middle
  • Carolyn Bingham ’14, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
  • Monika Bishop ’25, McElwee Richards Middle
  • Valandria Burke ’21, Mary A. Buckner Academy
  • Mandy Chase ’01, Double Churches Middle
  • Lola Farley ’11, ’18, Kendrick High
  • Kimberly Grant ’16 , Dimon Magnet Academy
  • Christian Grier ’15, Clubview Elementary
  • Ja'Nyah Jefferson ’19, Hardaway High
  • Morgan Joiner ’20, ’23, Blackmon Road Middle
  • Madison Lavender ’20, Rigdon Road Elementary
  • Amber Marcus ’20, ’22, Lonnie Jackson Academy
  • Bethani McNelly ’12, Northside High
  • Brendle Moyer ’18, ’21, Columbus High
  • Gina Norris ’19, Johnson Elementary
  • Courtney Phillips ’15, St. Elmo Center for the Gifted
  • Sydney Poe ’13, Blanchard Elementary
  • Tiffany Powell ’20, Hannan Magnet Academy
  • Tiffiny Rigsby ’10, ’13, J. D. Davis Elementary
  • Aubrey Smith ’07, Eagle Ridge Academy
  • Tiffani Smith-Burch ’95, South Columbus Elementary
  • Jennifer Smith-Wood ’11, Fort Middle
  • Jessika Tye ’20, Key Elementary
  • Matthew White ’06, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
  • Shannon Wooldridge ’98, ’03, River Road Elementary
  • Miranda Zelaya ’21, Gentian Elementary

Main image: Twenty-four of the 26 Columbus State University alumni honored by the Muscogee County School District and the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation as 2026 school-level Teachers of the Year.

Media contacts:
Columbus State University: Michael Tullier, Executive Director, Strategic Communication + Marketing, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu 
Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation: Marquette McKnight, Administrator, 706.660.9702, marquette@mediamarketingandmore.com
Muscogee County School District: Kimberly Wright, Director of Communication, 706.668.0741, Wright.Kimberly.A@muscogee.k12.ga.us