HANOVER, Md. (WBFF) — Joe Bigsby, a STEM teacher at Magothy River Middle School, has been named the 2026 Anne Arundel County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, district officials announced during a ceremony Friday night.
The award was presented before more than 700 attendees at the 40th annual Excellence in Education Awards, held at the Live! Event Center at Arundel Mills.
Bigsby, who has taught in AACPS since 2018, has spent his entire tenure at Magothy River Middle School.
Over that time, he has built a reputation for fostering student connections and embracing innovation in the classroom.
“This is not about one person,” Bigsby said after receiving the award. “It’s about all of Anne Arundel County and what we bring, the excellence that we bring. I am reminded of that every single day as I talk to other teachers and I realize that it’s not a solo thing. I did not win tonight. We won tonight. The kids won tonight. Anne Arundel County won tonight because that’s what we do. We do things excellent.”
Colleagues say Bigsby’s work extends beyond his classroom, where he focuses on building inclusive environments that support student growth.
He also plays a role in district leadership, serving as a lead educator in computer science initiatives.
Bigsby is the second teacher from Magothy River Middle School to receive the honor in the program’s 40-year history. Penny Vahsen was previously recognized in 1988.
As the county’s Teacher of the Year, Bigsby will go on to represent Anne Arundel County in the Maryland Teacher of the Year competition.
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The district has produced a finalist in 11 of the past 13 years.
Also recognized during the ceremony, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie Principal Kim Jakovics was named the 2026 AACPS Principal of the Year and received the George Arlotto Leadership Award.
In total, 88 teachers and five principals were honored as part of this year’s Excellence in Education program.
Teacher of the Year nominees, semifinalists (indicated with an asterisk) and finalists (indicated with two asterisks) recognized:
- Nelson X. Alvarez Morales, Woodside Elementary School
- Theresa Bange, Severn Run High School*
- Jennifer Basinger, AACPS Virtual Academy
- Demetri Bedel, Old Mill High School
- Kimberly Lawton Bloomfield, Severna Park Middle School
- Tabatha Brooks, Chesapeake High School
- Serena Brown, Glendale Elementary School
- Aimee Castaing, Tyler Heights Elementary School
- Erin Chester, Crofton Middle School
- Laura Christopher, Ferndale Early Education Center
- Emily Clark, Benfield Elementary School
- Joanne Clarke, Walter S. Mills-Parole Elementary School
- Jessica Coyne, Northeast High School
- Heather Cummins, Old Mill Middle School South
- Matthew D’Agostino, Riviera Beach Elementary School
- Jenilee Denney, Mayo Elementary School
- Judith Diaz, Meade High School*
- Bethann Michelle Dixon, Lindale Middle School
- Nicole Drennan, Shady Side Elementary School
- Daniel Ells, Central Middle School
- Samantha Emge, Marley Glen School**
- Michelle Emond, Southern High School
- Jamie Erickson, Lake Shore Elementary School*
- Kathleen Fagan, Arundel Middle School*
- Inma Fernandez-Pacheco, Crofton High School
- Nicole Fornadel, Severna Park High School
- Lindsay Fuller, Germantown Elementary School
- Melissa Gardner, Edgewater Elementary School
- Andie Graziano, MacArthur Middle School
- Scott Gurien, Crofton Elementary School
- Starlyn Hacker, Brooklyn Park Middle School
- Matt Hall, Arundel High School
- Brenda Heim, Mary Moss at J. Albert Adams Academy
- Vicki Hill, Deale Elementary School
- Niki Hromanik, Marley Elementary School
- Jamie Hudgins, Jacobsville Elementary School
- Shawn Hurman, High Point Elementary School
- Nik M. Jones, Belvedere Elementary School**
- Karen Jones-Lantzy, Tracey’s Elementary School
- Beth Joy, South Shore Elementary School
- Jason C. Kahler, South River High School
- Noah Kiehle, Ridgeway Elementary School*
- Erika Klick, Odenton Elementary School
- Heather Kurdziel, West Meade Early Education Center
- Erika Ladd, Brock Bridge Elementary School
- Casey Lafferty, Park Elementary School
- Jen Lee, Folger McKinsey Elementary School
- Jenna Lerro, Annapolis Middle School
- Walt Lindberg, Pershing Hill Elementary School
- Kimberley Looper, Corkran Middle School
- Michelle Magee, Overlook Elementary School*
- Stephanie Marrone, George T. Cromwell Elementary School
- Hannah Martin, Old Mill Middle School North
- Lacy McDaniel, Center of Applied Technology South
- Marissa Miller-Vasquez, Ruth Parker Eason School
- Jessica Moran, West Annapolis Elementary School**
- Lindsay O’Keefe, Annapolis Elementary School
- Kara O’Rourke, Four Seasons Elementary School
- Robert Palmer, Center of Applied Technology North
- Heather Pickens, Glen Burnie Park Elementary School
- Rachel Place, Southern Middle School
- Mandi Quinn, Chesapeake Bay Middle School**
- Clarelisa Rivera, Glen Burnie High School
- James Robison, Point Pleasant Elementary School
- Sheri Rosenberg, Waugh Chapel Elementary School
- Veronica Rutkauskas, Pasadena Elementary School*
- Somia Sharafeldin, North County High School*
- Amy Sheasley, Piney Orchard Elementary School**
- Mary Smilek, Severn Elementary School
- Katelyn Smith, Manor View Elementary School
- Krystle Smith, Northeast Middle School
- Robin Smith, Maryland City Elementary School
- Lauren Snyder, Hillsmere Elementary School
- Kelly Shipley Spence, Jessup Elementary School
- Kelly M. Spadaro, Nantucket Elementary School*
- Katherine Stanton-Pawlikowski, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie*
- Magdalena Stanulescu, Severn River Middle School
- Sandra Thomas, Chesapeake Science Point Middle/High
- Brian Vandegrift, Marley Middle School
- Angela L. Vogt, Wiley H. Bates Middle School
- Chris Wallace, Rippling Woods Elementary School
- Michelle Watts, Belle Grove Elementary School
- Liz Welsh, Broadneck Elementary School*
- Meghan Welsh, Broadneck High School**
- Cassidy Wilson, Chesapeake Science Point Elementary
- Alicia Winarski, Windsor Farm Elementary School
- Kellsie Wolcott-Guy, Hilltop Elementary School
The following Principal of the Year finalists were also recognized:
- Jessica Alvear, Ridgeway Elementary School
- Cheryl Ann Cox, Walter S. Mills-Parole Elementary School
- Ryan Durr, Meade High School
- Jed Kling, Windsor Farm Elementary School
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