Huntsville City Schools (HCS) hosted the Galaxy Awards Night to recognize 2025-26 teachers and support staff of the year, teachers who have been newly recognized as National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT), and schools who earned awards for their performance on 2024-25 ALSDE Report Cards. HCS hosted the event at the Lee High School campus on Thursday, January 15, 2026. The district is proud to celebrate these outstanding staff, faculty members, and schools for their accomplishments in support of quality education for all students. See below for a list of the recognitions presented at the special event:
2025-26 District Teachers & Support Staff of the Year:
School Level | Teacher of the Year | Support Staff of the Year |
|---|---|---|
High School | Clarice Pippin (Lee) | Susan Lockridge (Huntsville) |
Middle & Junior High School | Kimberly Langseth (Hampton Cove Middle) | MaQuita Cawthorne (ASFL) |
Elementary School | Michelle Cole (Williams) | LaShonda Jefferson (Dawson) |
2025-26 Driving Possibilities Educators of the Year
Level | School | Educator |
|---|---|---|
High School | Huntsville Center for Technology | Jack Crowley |
Middle School | Chapman Middle | Briana Moncur |
Elementary | Rolling Hills Elementary | Tim Wilkinson |
2025-26 Technology Teachers of the Year
Level | School | Educator |
|---|---|---|
High School | Huntsville High | Megan Peck |
Middle School | Williams Middle | Katherine Osborne |
Elementary | McDonnell Elementary | Daphne Rivera |
2025-26 New National Board Certified Teachers:
School | NBCT Recipient |
|---|---|
Academy for Science & Foreign Language Elementary (ASFL) | Catharine Wilson |
Artemis Virtual Academy | Sabrina Priest |
Blossomwood Elementary | Megan Black |
Blossomwood Elementary | Sara Sykes |
Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary | Emily Freeman |
Hampton Cove Middle | Briana Butler |
Huntsville High | Elizabeth Clark |
Lee High | Christie Roland |
McDonnell Elementary | Tracy Haraway |
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | Quanisha Ford |
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | Debra Alcime |
Monte Sano Elementary | Lindsay Schliesman |
New Century Technology High (NCTHS) | Laura Carter |
Providence Elementary | Elana Holzer |
Providence Elementary | Caitlin McCammy-Smith |
Sonnie Hereford Elementary | Joyia McCurley |
Weatherly Elementary | Victoria Hackett |
2025-26 School Teachers & Support Staff of the Year:
High Schools, Virtual, & Career Tech
School | Teacher of the Year | Support Staff of the Year |
|---|---|---|
ACCEL Prep Academy | LaTorea Brooks | |
Apollo | Courtney Chatman-Kidd | Alexis McTiller |
Artemis Virtual (Secondary) | Clayton Wilson | |
Columbia High | Rometha Holman | Rokara Ward |
Grissom High | Luis Zaldaña | Maurice Owens |
Huntsville Center for Technology | Karen Rodriguez | Tonya Robinson |
Huntsville High | Amy Bishop | Susan Lockridge |
Jemison High | Kathleen Dunseith | Haritha Gangasani |
Lee High | Clarice Pippin | Adam Thompson |
New Century Technology High | Sarah Mason | Audrey McCall |
Middle & Junior High Schools
School | Teacher of the Year | Support Staff of the Year |
|---|---|---|
Academy for Academics & Arts Middle | Asia Hester | Tracie Bailey |
Academy for Science & Foreign Language Middle | Jennifer Mason | MaQuita Cawthorne |
Challenger Middle | Karen Beech | Sabrina Waits |
Chapman Middle | Kristy Miligan-Garth | Ericka Morrow |
Hampton Cove Middle | Kimberly Langseth | Christine Brown |
Huntsville Jr. High | Jalisa Williams-Barnes | Janet Sharp |
Morris Middle | Morgan McCants | Josette Wherry |
Mountain Gap Middle | Erica Formby | Jennifer McLaughlin |
Ronald E. McNair Jr. High | Vanessa Lawson | Sabrina Green |
Whitesburg Middle | Lori Shrode | Tenia Sanders |
Williams Middle | Ashton Newlin | Jennifer Jones |
Elementary Schools
School | Teacher of the Year | Support Staff of the Year |
|---|---|---|
Academy for Academics & Arts Elementary | Elizabeth Moore | Mary Christopher |
Academy for Science & Foreign Language Elementary | Jessica Gittman | Xanthia Elmore |
Artemis Virtual (Elementary) | Kristi Taylor | |
Blossomwood Elementary | Amber Starr | Nicholas Jones |
Chaffee Elementary | Riley O'Connor | Kyllie Carter |
Challenger Elementary | Martha Wrinn | Kim Collins |
Farley Elementary | Katie Phillips | Yvonne McKinney |
Goldsmith Schiffman Elementary | Leslie Scalf | |
Hampton Cove Elementary | Ashton Hodges | Veda Brown |
Highlands Elementary | Jada Frazier | Melisa Legg |
James I Dawson Elementary | Deja Langston | LaShonda Jefferson |
Jones Valley Elementary | Jennifer Land | Judith Cooke |
Lakewood Elementary | Myecha Lewis | Helen Drake |
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | Melissa Smith | Kevin Wilson |
McDonnell Elementary | Katherine Lintz | Williams Haynes |
Monte Sano Elementary | Machisa Carthen | Peter Joseph |
Montview Elementary | Veronica Caudle | William Caudle |
Morris Elementary | Cassidy Toles | Rachel Moore |
Mountain Gap Elementary | Grace Baker | Wynona Beshears |
Providence Elementary | Tracey Boyle | Teri Harper |
Ridgecrest Elementary | Jacqueline Johnson | Perris Forde-Clark |
Rolling Hills Elementary | Sylvia Loar | Yolanda Raysor |
Sonnie Hereford Elementary | Adrienne Henry | David Odom |
Weatherly Heights Elementary | Laura Jeziorski | Catherine Ehlert |
Whitesburg Elementary | Sarah Hammett | Jake Eckenrode |
Williams Elementary | Michele Cole | Ashley Ferrell |
2025-26 ALSDE Report Card District Recognitions
Report Card Award Categories:
A Honor Roll: Schools who received an A on state report card.
Rocket Award: Schools who improved one letter grade.
Cosmic Growth Award: Schools who demonstrated 100 percent growth.
Gold Constellation Award: Schools who gained or received 100 percent in all areas.
Shooting Star Award: Schools who improved 5 or more points.
Over the Moon Award: Schools who improved 10 or more points.
School | Award(s) |
|---|---|
Huntsville City Schools | Cosmic Growth Award |
Academy for Academics & Arts Middle | Gold Constellation Award |
Academy for Science & Foreign Language Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, A Honor Roll |
Academy for Science & Foreign Language Middle | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, A Honor Roll |
Blossomwood Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award |
Chaffee Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award, A Honor Roll |
Challenger Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Over the Moon Award |
Challenger Middle | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, A Honor Roll |
Chapman Middle | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Over the Moon Award |
Farley Elementary | A Honor Roll |
Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, A Honor Roll |
Hampton Cove Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll, 100% Report Card Grade |
Hampton Cove Middle | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll |
Highlands Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Shooting Star Award |
Huntsville High | Cosmic Growth Award, Rocket Award, A Honor Roll |
James I Dawson Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Jones Valley Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll |
Lakewood Elementary | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Over the Moon Award |
Lee High | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award |
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
McDonnell Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Shooting Star Award |
Monte Sano Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll, 100% Report Card Grade |
Montview Elementary | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Over the Moon Award |
Mountain Gap Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Shooting Star Award, A Honor Roll |
Mountain Gap Middle | Cosmic Growth Award, A Honor Roll |
Morris Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Morris Middle | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Shooting Star Award |
New Century Technology High | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll |
Providence Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Ridgecrest Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Rolling Hills Elementary | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Ronald E. McNair Jr. High | Shooting Star Award |
Sonnie Hereford Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Rocket Award, Shooting Star Award |
Weatherly Heights Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award, A Honor Roll |
Whitesburg Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award |
Williams Elementary | Cosmic Growth Award, Gold Constellation Award |
Williams Middle | Gold Constellation Award, Rocket Award, Over the Moon Award |
Images From the Event
