Heavy rush-hour rains couldn’t dampen the spirit Wednesday evening at Music City Center as MNPS celebrated its Teachers of the Year, Support Employees of the Year and Principals of the Year with awards, photos and music.
More than 130 building-level Teacher of the Year winners, along with top support employees and principals, gathered with their family members, principals and district leaders for the event.
“The work you do both in and out of your classrooms every day, the effort you make, the hours you put in, the commitment you show: It is truly amazing,” Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle told the winning teachers.
“At the same time, support employees are doing critical work behind the scenes every day to make sure our teachers, students, their families and other employees have what they need. Meanwhile, principals make sure it all comes together day after day so that teaching and learning can happen in a safe and healthy environment.” 
Tayla Brown, a Pre-kindergarten teacher at Cambridge Early Learning Center in Antioch, was named the overall MNPS Teacher of the Year. The other eight finalists for Teacher of the Year were:
- Elementary school teachers: Meghan Bell, Crieve Hall Elementary; Allison Marlow, Paragon Mills Elementary
- Middle school teachers: Rachael Begarly, Croft Middle; Preston Weaver, Antioch Middle; Kenton Wesby, Isaac Litton Middle
- High school teachers: Caroline Brooks Dubois, Nashville School of the Arts; Princess Gordon-Aziz, Nashville Big Picture High School; Meredith Lavigne, Pearl-Cohn High School
Support Employees of the Year
The district also celebrated its Support Employees of the Year and Principals of the Year:
- Lakisa Dobbins, Exceptional Education paraprofessional, Whites Creek High School
- Howard Kiger, tutor, John Overton High School
- Joy Pillow-Jones, Community Achieves site manager, Jones Paideia Elementary School
Principals of the Year
- Latoya Cobb, Amqui Elementary School
- Dr. Rommie Vasser Jr., Rose Park Middle School
- Dr. Brenda Diaz, Nashville Big Picture High School
The other six finalists for Principal of the Year were:
- Elementary school principals: Brenda Steele, Old Center Elementary; James Urquhart, Norman Binkley Elementary
- Middle school principals: Dr. Trellaney Lane, Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts; Dr. Jeremy Lewis, Croft Middle
- High school principals: Dr. Henry Johnson, W.A. Bass Learning Center; Susan Siegel, Murrell at Glenn School
Event Program
Download the event program for a full list of winners, including every building-level Teacher of the Year from across the district.
Teacher of the Year Photo Album
