Dr. Chelsea Taylor, an English Language Arts teacher and literacy professional development coach at James M. Bennett High School, was named the 2026-2027 Wicomico Teacher of the Year April 9, 2026. The announcement was made at the end of the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Celebration at Venue 54 in Delmar, Md.
Dr. Taylor, 33, is in her 12th year as a teacher at James M. Bennett High. She currently teaches 10th Grade English Language Arts, supports colleagues as a literacy coach, and serves as a college essay mentor and co-chair of the JMB Instructional Leadership Team. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2014), and earned both her master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction (2017) and doctoral degree in Education in Literacy Studies (2024) from Salisbury University. She is working toward National Board Certification. Dr. Taylor is an adjunct professor at SU, and a member of the Maryland State Education Association and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Dr. Taylor said she hopes students leave her English Language Arts classroom feeling inspired, challenged and accepted. “I want them to walk away from the class having felt like they’ve been part of a community .. and that I’ve held them to high expectations and that they can reach those expectations,” Dr. Taylor said during her semifinalist video interview. “I hope that my students walk away from my class knowing that they can dream big and that they have people who are their cheerleaders along the way, to support them. I also hope that my students leave my classroom thinking about how we’ve had a collaborative relationship in a joyful, rigorous classroom environment that has engaged them with me as their teacher and with their peers as well.”
In 2024 Dr. Taylor worked with her dissertation advisor to co-publish her research on drama in the English classroom in English Journal, and has presented the research at local, state (SoMLA) and national (NCTE) conferences. That publication, “Energy and Magic: Using Drama to Inspire Joy in ELA,” is now available to English teachers nationwide. “I want to collaborate and build relationships with teachers all over, as my hope is that teachers could take the lessons and experiences I provided and use it to create their own joyful learning culture in their classrooms,” Dr. Taylor wrote in one of her semifinalist written prompt responses.
Following the announcement of her name as the new Wicomico Teacher of the Year, members of the Wicomico County Board of Education presented Dr. Taylor with the traditional engraved golden apple award that the Board gives only to the Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
Photos from the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Celebration may be viewed and downloaded from this gallery: https://wicomicoschools.smugmug.com/Wicomico-Teacher-of-the-Year-Archive/2026-Wicomico-Teacher-of-the-Year-Celebration
Celebration at the New Teacher of the Year’s School Friday Morning
Dr. Taylor was celebrated at James M. Bennett High the morning of Friday, April 10, when she arrived in a classic 1949 Buick driven by Wicomico band teacher and auto enthusiast Buck Burton. Her school and her school system are proud to have Dr. Taylor represent all Wicomico teachers as the 2026-2027 Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
“We are thrilled that Dr. Chelsea Taylor of James M. Bennett High School now represents all of Wicomico’s some 1,400 Wicomico teachers as the 2026-2027 Wicomico Teacher of the Year,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Micah Stauffer said. “She is an excellent teacher who models a commitment to lifelong learning, and she will represent her content area, school, Wicomico County Public Schools, and all of our teachers and students very well in the Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program.”
The Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program includes Maryland State Board of Education recognition on May 28, along with other school system teachers of the year from across the state, and the Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala on Oct. 2. She will also engage in a host of 2026-2027 Teachers of the Year activities throughout the coming year. Dr. Taylor will also be recognized at the April 21 Wicomico County Council meeting, along with the three Teacher of the Year finalists and the 2026 Rising Star Award winner, an outstanding second-year teacher.
Wicomico is proud to have had three former Maryland Teachers of the Year working in the school system on behalf of students: Aaron Deal, April Todd and Bonnie Walston (now retired). Many of Wicomico’s Teachers of the Year, including 2025-2026 Wicomico Teacher of the Year Emma Cohn Matthews, have been finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year.
Wicomico County Public Schools and the Wicomico County Board of Education thank 2025-2026 Wicomico Teacher of the Year Ms. Cohn Matthews (Wicomico High) for serving as such an excellent representative of all educators in Wicomico Schools. As the outgoing Teacher of the Year, she delivered the keynote address at the Teacher of the Year Celebration.
Top Teachers Recognized at the Teacher of the Year Celebration
Over the past few months, the 25 teachers who are 2025-2026 semifinalists participated in a series of scored activities, starting with a public speaking challenge called the Fishbowl. They then completed a written prompt packet and interviewed with a blue-ribbon panel of judges who are all past Wicomico Teachers of the Year. Scores from these three activities were compiled to determine the four finalists, who are the four teachers with the highest scores.
2026 Finalists for Wicomico Teacher of the Year, announced toward the end of the Teacher of the Year Celebration on April 9:
Ms. Danielle Glenn, Math, Wicomico High
Mrs. Shelley Smith, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Charles H. Chipman Elementary
Dr. Chelsea Taylor, English Language Arts/Literacy Professional Development Coach, James M. Bennett High
Mrs. Bethany Hammond, 2nd Grade, Westside Intermediate
Dr. Chelsea Taylor (James M. Bennett High), the highest-scoring finalist, was named the 2026-20267 Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
Congratulations to these 2025-2026 Semifinalists for Teacher of the Year:
Beaver Run Elementary: Ms. Meghan Albers, Prekindergarten
Bennett Middle: Mrs. Kari Thomas (NBCT), Math
Delmar Elementary: Mrs. Tracy Hayes (NBCT), Special Education
East Salisbury Elementary: Ms. Heather Davis, 3rd Grade
Fruitland Primary: Ms. Courtney Feeney, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
Fruitland Intermediate: Ms. Kacie Robinson, 3rd Grade
Glen Avenue Elementary: Mrs. Lyndsay Greenan, 2nd Grade
Mardela Middle & High: Ms. Amber Dorman, English Language Arts
North Salisbury Elementary: Mrs. Madeline “Maddie” Naumann, 3rd Grade Magnet Math
Northwestern Elementary: Mrs. Melissa Hileman, 5th Grade
Parkside High/CTE: Mr. Andre Carter, Physical Education
Pemberton Elementary: Mrs. Marsha Rickards, Kindergarten
Pinehurst Elementary: Mrs. Jodi Moore (NBCT), Reading Intervention
Pittsville Elementary & Middle: Mrs. Kristin Walston, Reading Intervention
Prince Street Elementary: Mrs. Diane Powers, 3rd Grade
Salisbury Middle: Ms. Gabrielle “Ellie” Cuppett, Chorus
West Salisbury Elementary: Mrs. Lauren Gilmore (NBCT), 1st Grade
Westside Primary: Mrs. Jessica Carter (NBCT), Reading Intervention
Wicomico Middle: Ms. Katy Likovich, 8th-Grade Science
Willards Elementary: Sophia Vitilio, 3rd Grade
Special Programs: Mrs. Jen Campbell, Math, Virtual Learning. (She also serves as Math Professional Development Coach at Parkside High.)
Meet all 25 amazing educators in a Teacher of the Year Semifinalists video that highlights each one. The program aired on PAC 14 and is available to view at anytime on the YouTube Channel for Wicomico Schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhz1Wq4Llh0
Three teachers who represent their programs as its teacher of the year were also announced and thanked at the Teacher of the Year Celebration: Colleen Hughes (Birth to Five Program), Brittney Bedair (Choices Academy) and Wesly Brouard (English Language Support Center).
2026 Rising Star Award
In connection with the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program, Teresa McCain announced the name of Ayonna Brunson, an 8th Grade math teacher at Salisbury Middle School, as the winner of the 2026 Rising Star Award for outstanding second-year teachers. As the “Rookie of the Year” among teachers new to the profession, Ms. Brunson received a personalized baseball bat and a check for $1,000 from education advocates Bill and Teresa McCain.
“In my classroom, we are all learners. I teach the way I wish someone had taught me: with belief, with high expectations, and with heart” Ms. Brunson said in her Rising Star video. “I don’t just teach math, I grow alongside my students, building confidence, identity and possibility together.”
Ms. Brunson said she entered the field of education with a purpose, having not ever had a Black teacher at the front of the room when she was a student. “Representation isn’t just important, it is transformative,” she said in her video.
In addition to the winner, the finalists for the Rising Star Award were Trinity Parker (5th Grade, East Salisbury Elementary), Leslie Twining (Health Education, Bennett Middle) and SeVonne Whittington (Kindergarten, Charles H. Chipman Elementary).
2026 Friend of Education Award
Also announced on Thursday evening was the 2026 recipient of the Friend of Education Award, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. Receiving the award for SNHS were Executive Director Cheryl Meadows, Board of Directors Chair Lauren White and Vice Chair Hope Morgan.
For 32 years, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to strengthening our community by expanding access to quality, affordable housing for families. That work directly supports the well-being and educational success of students and families right here in Wicomico County.
Students in Parkside High’s Career & Technical Education construction program have been building homes for families for many years. At one point, when a family had to step away from a project, and CTE needed a partner, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing stepped in. Once the home was completed, it was placed on a lot they owned on Pemberton Drive. That moment marked the beginning of a strong and lasting partnership. When SNHS later had the opportunity to purchase nine lots on Rose Street in Salisbury, CTE students and instructors took on the challenge—building 1,200-square-foot homes, one each year. Additional CTE-built homes have been placed in Parsonsburg, Princess Anne, and Crisfield, as available lots in Salisbury have become increasingly limited.
Through its sponsorship of the construction and placement of 15 three-bedroom, two-bath homes, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing has made a meaningful and lasting investment in homeownership and in our communities. Beyond the homes themselves, this work reflects a deep understanding of the connection between strong communities and strong schools, especially through the impact on our Career & Technical Education programs and students. By improving housing stability and neighborhood quality, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing is also helping to create better learning environments and greater engagement for our students.
Sponsors and Supporters of the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program
Businesses, organizations and individuals in our community have generously supported the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Celebration, which is the highlight of the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program. Wicomico County Public Schools and the Wicomico County Board of Education gratefully acknowledge these sponsors:
• Platinum Sponsors:
Wicomico County Education Foundation
The McCains
Dr. Carolyn Elmore
Pro Coat LLC
Salisbury University
Richard A. Henson Foundation
Wicomico County Education Association
• Gold Sponsors:
Association of Public School Administrators & Supervisors
First Financial Federal Credit Union
• Silver Sponsor:
Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore
M&T Bank
• Bronze Sponsors:
Marathon Health
Wicomico Retired School Personnel Association
Our thanks to these Teacher of the Year donors and supporters:
WCPS Career & Technical Education: Automotive Technology, Culinary Arts, High Performance Manufacturing, Horticulture, Interactive Media, Masonry, Welding
ACME Markets Foundation
Amused Pottery
Atlantic Pewter & Trophies
Batch Please
Behind the Line Inc. therapy dogs
Breathe Inspired by Nature
Brew River Seafood House
Buck Burton
Jen Seay Campbell
Chick-fil-A
crumbl
Data Networks
The Deli at Pecan Square
Delmarva Shorebirds
Delmarvanow.com (The Daily Times)
Denny’s
DiCarlo Digital Copy Center
Discount School Supply
DJ Dustin Thomas
Doordash
Erick Sahler Serigraphs
Etch-Art Awards
Hertrich Family of Automobile Dealerships
Island Creamery
Jersey Mike’s
Susan S. Jones
Kind SBY
Kitty’s Flowers
Kuhn’s Jewelers
Lifetouch
Market Street Inn
Stephanie McCoy
Mogan’s Oyster House
Mojo’s
North of Eden Farms
PAC 14
Pipino Audio Visual
Planet Fitness
Playa Bowls
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
Salisbury Independent/Independent Newspapers
School Specialty
Sonya’s Floral Boutique
Soul Yoga
Specific Gravity
Staples
The Ugly Pie
Vernon Powell Shoes
W.B. Mason
Wendy’s
Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism
Williams Market
Wor-Wic Community College