2026 Teacher of the Year Nominees

(Delaware Department of Education)

DELAWARE - A celebration is scheduled for Tuesday night in Dover to honor 20 teachers from across Delaware for their dedication to their students, with one slated to be named Delaware's 2026 Teacher of the Year.

The 20 nominees were selected by their districts or the Delaware Charter Network in the 2025 calendar year because of their devotion to teaching and inspiring a love of education in their students, according to the Delaware Department of Education. 

The Delaware General Assembly sets aside a $5,000 grant for Delaware's Teacher of the Year for use in the classroom, as well as $3,000 as a personal grant. All nominees receive a $2,000 grant from the state.

The teacher named Delaware's Teacher of the Year at the Oct. 14 event will then go on to become the state's nominee in the national Teacher of the Year program.

The DOE says the celebration begins Tuesday night with a social hour at 5 p.m. at Modern Maturity Center in Dover. The announcement of 2026's Teacher of the Year is slated for the end of the evening, with a livestream scheduled around 7:15 p.m. at this link.

The 2026 nominees for Delaware Teacher of the Year are:

Appoquinimink: Alison Suiter of Bunker Hill Elementary (4th grade)

Brandywine: Jenna DiEleuterio of Talley Middle (reading specialist)

Caesar Rodney: Taylor Morris of W.B. Simpson Elementary (3rd grade inclusion)

Cape Henlopen: Christopher Burkhart of Cape Henlopen High (director of bands)

Capital: Heather Crowe of North Dover Elementary (4th grade inclusion)

Charter Network: Katie Miro of Newark Charter (1st grade)

Christina: Danna Phanos of Shue-Medill Middle (special education/mathematics)

Colonial: Amanda Kane of Colonial Early Education Program (special education preschool)

Delmar: Casey Bellamy of Delmar Middle (social studies)

Indian River: Amanda Howard of Long Neck Elementary (kindergarten)

Lake Forest: Joseph C. Holland of Lake Forest High (special education)

Laurel: Stacy Puerto of North Laurel Early Learning Academy (multilingual learner)

Milford: Courtney Lee of Ross Elementary (4th grade)

New Castle County Vo-Tech: Jennifer Janssen of St. Georges Technical High (social studies)

POLYTECH: Nora Frank of POLYTECH High (English)

Red Clay Consolidated: Mary Adam of First State School (general/special education)

Seaford: Karen Zubrowski of Frederick Douglass Elementary (5th grade)

Smyrna: Jacalyn Jenkins of Smyrna Middle (mathematics)

Sussex Technical: Shaila Collins of Sussex Technical High (Spanish)

Woodbridge: Danielle Jones of Woodbridge High (performing arts)

Digital Content Producer

Sean joined WBOC as Digital Content Producer in February 2023. Originally from New Jersey, Sean graduated from Rutgers University with bachelor’s degrees in East Asian Studies and Religion. He has lived in New York, California, and Virginia before he and his wife finally found a place to permanently call home in Maryland. With family in Laurel, Ocean Pines, Berlin, and Captain’s Cove, Sean has deep ties to the Eastern Shore and is thrilled to be working at WBOC serving the community.

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