Katie Collins named 2025-26 Alabama Teacher of the Year
The Alabama State Department of Education named Katie Collins, an educator at Bluff Park Elementary School, the Alabama Teacher of the Year for 2025-26 last week during a ceremony at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery.
The purpose of the Alabama Teacher of the Year Program is to honor and recognize excellence in the teaching profession by identifying outstanding classroom teachers at local, district and state levels. The winner serves as a full-time ambassador for the teaching profession, engaging in activities such as speaking to civic and professional organizations, conducting workshops for teachers and writing articles to promote education.
In honor of her achievement, the Alabama Power Foundation presented a check for $5,000 to the Alabama State Department of Education, giving Collins the opportunity to “pay it forward” and select a fellow teacher to receive a Classroom Grant. With teachers often having to pay for their own materials, this grant program aims to solve that problem by awarding grants up to $1,000 for materials to better the classroom environment and, in turn, enhance a student’s ability to learn.
Across her 20-year career as an educator, Collins has taught middle and high school French as well as English. She also assisted in the creation of the Communities Family Literacy Program, which helps with English language services for ESL students and families within the Hoover City School System.
Aubrey Bennett, a teacher at George Washington Carver High School of Birmingham City Schools, was named Alternate Alabama Teacher of the Year for 2025-26.
Bennett has spent the past 11 years at Carver High School, teaching 12th-grade history while also sponsoring the Student Government Association.
The Alabama Power Foundation consistently supports educators and initiatives that help students become more intelligent, engaged and prepared for their futures. With a focus on educational advancement, the Foundation works to break down barriers and power a better Alabama for generations to come.
For more information about the Alabama State Department of Education, visit the website here. To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation and its grant programs, click here.
