Meet Orange County's 2026 Teachers of the Year

You’re an Orange County Teacher of the Year! 

That is the news six educators received on May 1 in surprise announcements inside their classrooms with students, family, colleagues, and others cheering them on.

The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) administers the O.C. Teacher of the Year program. Orange County Superintendent of Schools Stefan Bean, Ed.D., presented the awards to this year’s winners. They were selected from more than 60 applicants among the region's 28 public school districts and community colleges from a pool of an estimated 20,000 teachers. 

Each honoree was given a lofty apple-topped trophy and a goodie bag from sponsor SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. In November, the six educators will also be honored during a ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel where they will receive $25,000 from the Orange County Teachers of the Year Award Foundation. The five TK-12 teachers can now also compete to become a 2026 California Teacher of the Year. 

For the past few years, OCDE administrators have invited Spotlight Schools to join them on a school bus that criss-crosses the county stopping at the winning teachers' campuses to present the awards. Here’s a closer look at each exemplary educator that will serve as the 2026 Teachers of the Year and how they reacted to the news.

Erin Bro, San Clemente High School, Capistrano Unified School District

A cheering squad of more than a dozen people streamed into Erin Bro’s classroom at San Clemente High School the morning of May 1 to deliver the news. 

 “As soon as my principal walked in and said, ‘I’ve got some really special guests with me,’ I could not hold it together,” Bro said of the moment, and described feeling “immediately overwhelmed with emotion.” She wiped away tears of joy, her smile beaming, as her students applauded, and colleagues offered hugs.

For the past 15 years, Bro has led the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. AVID is a nationwide effort “to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society.” She also teaches the AVID elective course at SCHS.

The program started with around 100 students. Bro has grown it to serve more than 300 9th-12th graders this year and turned it into a model other AVID administrators emulate. Many participants are English learners and first-generation collegians. Since Bro has been teaching, 100% of her AVID students have been admitted to college.

“This speaks to the 15 years of AVID graduates who have put the time into this program to change their lives and go on to incredible success,” Bro said in an interview after winning the honor.

“She wants every student to succeed,” one of Bro’s students shared, lauding her determination to “connect to every student individually.”

Bro pointed to the power of the relationships that she is able to build with her students during what is a formative, and sometimes emotional, time in their lives. “Taking the time to see each [student], hear from them, find out what they're interested in, find out [about] their home lives, listen to their stories, and tap into their ‘why’ and why they're here, is a critical element,” Bro stressed.

Another important element – AVID instructors often teach their students all four years of high school. “We build relationships with them, and when we say ‘we believe in you’ and ‘you can make this happen,’ they know it's because we have seen the growth over four years,” Bro said.

Bro’s classroom reinforces the message of what’s possible. Students look up and see more than a dozen college pennants hanging. Painted in big letters on the wall is: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” Outside the classroom, she has helped students attain funding for college visits, SAT testing, and seminars.

A San Clemente High School alumna, Bro is also the Capistrano Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year. “This is someone we’d love to see replicated,” SCHS Principal Brad Baker, Ed.D., said.

Jeannette Aguilera, Centralia Elementary School in the Centralia Elementary School District

Centralia Elementary School teacher Jeannette Aguilera was just days away from giving birth to her first child when she was surprised with the news that she is a 2026 Orange County Teacher of the Year.  

“She’s officially in her teacher of the year era,” Centralia Elementary School District Superintendent Norma Martinez declared, a nod to Aguilera’s Taylor Swift-themed classroom decor.

When asked how she felt Aguilera said, “Overjoyed! So humbled and so proud.” She could not stop the tears of joy from streaming down her face, nor could her third graders stop themselves from cheering, raising pink roses in praise of their classroom leader. 

“You’re inspiring me to be a teacher,” one of her students gushed.

Aguilera, an educator in the district since 2013 and a first-generation college graduate, is focused on building the next generation of leaders. Her steadfast belief – students can succeed with the right encouragement and support. “They are capable … They can reach their fullest potential,” she said of her students. 

Aguilera recalled how transformative it was when one of her teachers told her she could be a leader. “That gets you anywhere in life. It boosts your confidence and self-esteem,” she said. 

Aguilera provides that boost to her third graders by giving them leadership roles inside the classroom to learn responsibility. “They take their jobs very seriously,” Aguilera said. Posters on the wall remind students about the qualities of a leader including how to be proactive, set goals, and generate outcomes that are a win-win for classmates. 

The leadership lessons are not only confined to her classroom. Aguilera also helped bring “Leadership Day,” to her campus, where Centralia students took community members on tours, highlighting their leadership projects. “She has that passion,” Centralia Principal Patricia Ponce said of Aguilera. “She has that in her heart.”

“You are the most deserving person in the world,” Aguilera’s “teacher bestie” Elizabeth Smith told her in between hugs after hearing the news. Smith, a fourth-grade teacher at Centralia, described Aguilera as “the embodiment of what a teacher should be.”

“Jeannette represents the heart of our district—dedicated, caring and deeply committed to students. She shows what’s possible in public education,” Superintendent Martinez said in a press release.

“It’s like I’m representing all of the teachers in the district,” Aguilera said, expressing gratitude to her colleagues. She said she hoped the honor would put the relatively small CESD on the map. It has eight elementary schools serving a total of 4,000 students in Anaheim, Buena Park, and La Palma.

After accepting congratulatory hugs from most of her students, Aguilera shared that they had a question– since she is the teacher of the year, are they the students of the year? Of course, she said. One student replied: “And your baby will be baby of the year!”

Megan Lee, Loara Elementary, Anaheim Elementary School District

Transitional kindergarten teacher Megan Lee has built a community in her classroom at Loara Elementary School in the Anaheim Elementary School District. Her community was celebrating on May 1 as Dr. Bean presented the educator of nine years with a 2026 Teacher of the Year trophy. Her eyes wide, mouth agape as she accepted the honor.

“Good job, Mrs. Lee!,” exclaimed one of the boys in the class of four and five-year-old students. “I’m so proud of all of you!,” Lee told her class. Lee’s father, husband and two young daughters were there in support. 

“It’s an amazing honor,” Lee said of the award. “I didn’t think I would make it this far,” Lee smiled, referencing the journey of the Teacher of the Year competition process, which included filling out applications and sitting for interviews.

Lee is being celebrated for educating some of California’s youngest learners. The state has been phasing in transitional kindergarten, or TK, at public schools for the past few years. Starting next school year, all children who turn four years old by September 1 can enroll in TK.

Lee said she is most passionate about two aspects of her profession: preparing her TK students for kindergarten and beyond with a strong academic foundation and also creating a sense of community in her classroom to establish students’ social and emotional skills. 

“Building community is my passion because of its profound impact on empowering others,” Lee told the OCDE Newsroom. To make her classroom a welcoming environment she makes sure students learn each other’s names. Children end each school day with a goodbye song and farewell hugs. 

Lee also includes parents and guardians with her “Family Meetups with Mrs. Lee.” These outings to the local library or fire station provide parents an opportunity to take part in their child’s education.

Academically, Lee utilizes a multisensory approach to literacy lessons. On this day in class, students were rolling blobs of Play-Doh into the shapes of letters of the alphabet. She shared that to learn phonics, students practice motions and movements related to the sounds of letters.

Lee’s advice to other teachers is to partner with families and to give students the opportunities to succeed. “Believe in your kids,” Lee said. “They are capable of so much more than they know.”

Catherine Reinhardt-Zacair, Fullerton Community College

It isn’t just TK-12 educators bestowed with a Teacher of the Year award. One community college professor is also honored from the many campuses in Orange County. 

This year, Catherine Reinhardt-Zacair, a professor of French at Fullerton College, was greeted by the “surprendre” during her French 101 class. 

“It’s because of you,” Reinhardt-Zacair said to her class after receiving the apple-topped trophy from Dr. Bean. “I love my students.”

“She’s probably the best teacher I’ve ever had,” Joseph Miller, a 19-year-old second-year student said. 

Reinhardt-Zacair started teaching at Fullerton College in 2015, but she has spent decades as an impactful educator unlocking how French language and culture can help students achieve their dreams. “It takes creativity and imagination and knowing French culture and loving it,” she said. 

Her goal is to bring France to Fullerton. She achieves that by taking students on field trips to a local cheese shop or restaurant to dine on French cuisine. But her biggest contribution is organizing the college’s French Film Festival, an on-campus event showcasing French cinema, music, fashion, and food. Reinhardt-Zacair said the festival is made possible because of partnerships. For instance, the school’s fashion department made berets and local French restaurants provided food at last month’s event. 

Reinhardt-Zacair is also passionate about opening pathways for her students to travel to France. She speaks about education and career opportunities early on in class, including study abroad programs and international teaching opportunities. Many of students have go on to teach English in France.

“You are such a force,” Jeanette Rodriguez, Fullerton College’s Interim Dean of Humanities, told Reinhardt-Zacair at the award presentation. 

“The Teacher of the Year Award recognizes the wonderful partnership between French-speaking Hornets and myself over the past 10 years. I would like to thank them for having the courage to use their French in the real world and allow my teaching to transform their lives,” Reinhardt-Zacair said in a recent Fullerton News article. 

“It’s been such a joy to see Catherine honored; she gives so much to our community and truly deserves it,” Fullerton College Student Services Specialist Elizabeth Flores said.

And she’s prepared to give even more. When asked what she planned to do with the $25,000 Reinhardt-Zacair said: “I was thinking I would use it for my students.”

Darcy Blake, Ladera Vista Jr. High School of the Arts, Fullerton School District

It was almost lunch time at Ladera Vista Junior High School of the Arts in the Fullerton School District when the OCDE’s prize patrol showed up at English teacher Darcy Blake’s classroom full of students.

“That’s a surprise!” Blake said with a huge grin as she accepted her 2026 Teacher of the Year trophy. 

Blake has been teaching at Ladera Vista for 20 years. Every year, she tells seventh and eighth graders in her English, creative writing, and composition classes that they need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

“Because if you're comfortable, you're not learning and you're not thinking, and that's my big motto – get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Blake shared in an interview after receiving the award.

Fullerton School District administrators, school board members, and others praised Blake for her ability to challenge her students while giving them the tools and academic skills to rise to the challenge. “Nobody did it for me, so I want to do it for them,” Blake said. 

For example, Blake had a lesson where students took off their shoes, and with their eyes closed, heard an essay about a visit to a Holocaust site. Another assignment involved reading the essay “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by author Brent Staples. A more recent lesson was on slam poetry.

“I'm not afraid of those topics, and I let [students] think for themselves,” Blake said, noting the intent is to build empathy and help students think critically. “I don't tell them what to think. I give them tools to look at it, to analyze it, and to make decisions based on what they read and then they write about it.”

Blake said she is constantly looking for ways to connect with her students to make lessons more meaningful. She frequently changes up her curriculum to find what speaks to them. And she emphasizes the importance of really listening to her junior high students.

When she gives them that space to be heard, the learning expands. “I don't just teach them. They teach me,” Blake said. “And that's why I love this job.”

“I just think it’s wonderful,” Blake’s husband Phillip Grimes said with eyes full of pride as he watched his wife accept her award. “She deserves it, has deserved it for many years and it’s her turn.” 

Tracy Havens, Hicks Canyon Elementary, Tustin Unified School District

Minutes after receiving her 2026 Teacher of the Year award, Tracy Havens was jogging around the blacktop at Hicks Canyon Elementary School for a celebratory clap out. Katy Perry music filled the air as the second-grade teacher delivered high-fives and hugs to many of the hundreds of cheering students and staff lined up in the sunshine.

Havens has been an educator for more than two decades and has been with the Tustin Unified School District since 2002. “I’ve always had a passion for working with kids,” Havens shared in an interview. She has been credited with creating a compassionate and supportive classroom environment where her students thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. 

Havens said she does a zone check-in daily with her students to ascertain how they are feeling. Students who need extra support can consult with her at her desk. “They know that I’m available to them,” she said. 

Other strategies to build positive social and emotional skills are offering kids Feelings Journals and a Calm Corner. “When students have a safe space, that’s where the learning begins,” she said.  

“The hallmark of a great teacher is the sense of belonging they create for kids,” Tustin USD Superintendent Mark Johnson, Ed.D., said. “Kids have to want to be here and overwhelmingly, we just hear again and again that the environment in [Havens’s] classroom is one of inclusiveness and belonging.” 

“Mrs. Havens cares about every single one of you in every single different way, right?” Hicks Canyon Principal Deena Vela asked Havens’s second-grade students during the award presentation. “She finds what you're great at, what you can work on and make goals for you, right? That's why she is just such a special teacher.”

Havens reflected on her own positive educational experience saying she was “blessed with amazing educators” growing up in South Pasadena. She is now paying it forward with her students. During the clap out, dozens of Havens’s current and former students congratulated her and offered her hand-made cards of appreciation. The message she received was that she had made a lasting impression on these kids. 

“I truly love what I do and I work for the best district, at the best school, with the best staff and the best students,” Havens said.