Over 500 people gathered at Alachua County Public School’s 34th annual Teacher of the Year ceremony Thursday night.
The event, held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville, recognized 40 exceptional teachers at the elementary, middle and high school levels districtwide.
Each ACPS school selected a teacher to be recognized. The educators received $500, a crystal apple and a goodie bag.
Barbara Brock, a science teacher at High Springs Community School, was the finalist for the middle school category. She won the overall 2026 Alachua County Teacher of the Year award.
She has taught at the Pre-K through eighth grade school since 2022. In her finalist speech, she reflected on the nature of her job.
“Teaching isn't just about test scores, data points or metrics,” said Brock. “It's in qualitative matters, too — curiosity, ‘aha’ moments, [...] resilience and creativity that numbers just don’t capture.”
At Thursday’s ceremony, each of the three finalists delivered speeches to the crowd, while 37 non-finalists were represented in video interviews showing their teaching styles and values.
Katie Dawson, a third grade teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary, was the finalist for the elementary school category. Dawson is a third-generation teacher who followed her lifelong dream of teaching, she said.
“Teaching is something I truly believe I was destined to do,” Dawson said.
She went on to recognize the work of various educators who taught her while growing up in Alachua County, like Susan Bowles of Lawton M. Chiles Elementary.
Ryan McNickle, an Advanced Placement and U.S. history teacher at Buchholz High School, was the finalist for the high school category.
He has taught at the school since 2018 and founded the school’s AP Capstone program, a diploma program that helps students develop critical thinking and research skills.
“Watching Barbara, Katie, these teaching videos and seeing all these fantastic teachers all in one place is just a reminder of how many hard working, dedicated and passionate people we have in this county,” McNickle said. “Just to be mentioned in the same group as you all is an honor of a lifetime.”
Brock will go on to represent Alachua County in the statewide Teacher of the Year program, which is normally held in late July.
The ceremony was led by Superintendent Kamela Patton and several school board members, including Board Chair Thomas Vu.
“People don't become teachers because it's easy,” Vu said in a speech. “They become teachers because it's an obligation, and they stay because they believe it matters.”
The ACPS Teacher of the Year program started in 1992 and was established by Robert W. Hughes, a former superintendent of the county.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace is a first year journalism student, serving as city/county commission reporter for the Fall 2025 semester. While she has not previously been on staff, her early journalism experience can be attributed to Devil's Advocate, her high school newspaper. When she is not writing, Grace enjoys staying active by running, weight lifting, hiking and doing yoga. Her other pastimes include thrifting and working on random art projects.
