From: Rebecca Thomas, Communications Coordinator
Autauga County Schools
Autauga County School is immensely proud to announce the 2025-2026 school-level Teachers of the Year, recognizing 13 outstanding educators whose passion, dedication, and innovation have made a lasting impact on their students, colleagues, and school communities.
“These teachers exemplify the heart of our mission—to empower every student to reach their full potential,” said Lyman Woodfin, Superintendent. “Their commitment to excellence, creativity in the classroom, and care for their students set them apart.”
Each recipient —one honoree from each school —was selected through a nomination and review process that highlighted their instructional excellence, leadership within their schools, and dedication to student success. Thank you to the Autauga Education Foundation, Alabama Education Association, and the Prattville Chamber of Commerce for partnering with Autauga County Schools to recognize these deserving educators who live out the district’s mission to “foster the whole student in an academically rigorous environment, where everyone is known and valued, by creating pathways designed for success.”
This year’s honorees are:
- Amy Cruise, Autauga County Technology Center
- Jessica Fuller, Autauga Virtual Academy
- Lindsey Burns, Billingsley School
- Melissa Cox, Daniel Pratt Elementary School
- Carolyn Carpenter, Marbury High School
- Tiffany Gates, Marbury Middle School
- Lisa Brasher, Pine Level Elementary School
- Quanda Robinson, Prattville Elementary School
- Tommy King, Prattville High School
- Rhonda Barnes, Prattville Intermediate School
- Dr. Amanda Gonzales-Jackson, Prattville Junior High School
- Paige Moncrief, Prattville Kindergarten School
- Wendy Branning, Prattville Primary School
This year’s school-level honorees will be recognized for their achievements and contributions to education during a Teacher of the Year ceremony, where one elementary educator and one secondary educator will be named Autauga County Schools’ Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year and spotlighted during the November ACBOE board meeting.
“Teaching is more than a profession—it’s a calling,” said Jordyn-Elisabeth Elswick, UniServ Director, District 18 at the Alabama Education Association. “As an educator myself, I know firsthand the dedication, long hours, and deep care that teachers pour into their students. Our Teachers of the Year represent the very best of that commitment. On behalf of AEA and all our community’s education partners, I want to thank them—and all our teachers—for the difference they make every single day. Their work shapes not only young minds but the future of our community. I’m grateful to work in a community that values and supports its educators.”
Autauga County Schools congratulates these exceptional teachers and thanks all educators across the district for their unwavering commitment to making a difference in students’ lives every day.
