Colorado Teacher of the Year

Janet Damon

History teacher, DELTA High School, Denver Public Schools

Janet Damon has educated students in Denver Public Schools for more than 25 years. Her lessons focus on inquiry, research, digital storytelling, and culturally sustaining learning. She designs learning to help students think critically about challenges in their own lives. Her students imagine new solutions to problems in our state and create podcasts to advocate for issues like homelessness, gun violence, incarceration, inflation, immigration, racism, health disparities, and drug addiction in Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Metropolitan State University, Master’s of Library and Information Science from the University of Denver, and Educational Specialist (Ed.S) in Leadership for Educational Organizations from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Shelley Donnellon

Norwood Elementary School, Norwood Public Schools

Shelley Donnellon has been an educator for 11 years and describes herself as “Norwood through and through.” She teaches at Norwood Elementary School and her family has attended Norwood schools for four generations. Shelley believes in bringing new ideas and a personalized approach to her teaching practices. She crafts each lesson to fit with each of her second-grade students, lighting up young minds with literacy, social studies, science and math. She holds a Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master's in Reading from Grand Canyon University.

Tera Johnson-Swartz

English teacher, STEM School Highlands Ranch, Douglas County School District

Tera Johnson-Swartz, an English teacher at STEM School Highlands Ranch, has been an educator for two years. She specializes in building meaningful relationships with her students while also providing lessons remembered beyond her classroom. She tells her students from day one, that teaching wasn’t a career she had to take, but one she wanted to, humbly and with all of her heart. Johnson-Swartz has a Bachelor of Music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., and is earning her Master of Arts in English Composition and Rhetoric at Eastern Illinois University.

Amy Okimoto

Connections Coordinator at Summit Elementary School, Cherry Creek School District

Amy Okimoto leads efforts to build connectedness and belonging for students at Summit Elementary School. She is the co-facilitator for her district’s Asian American Pacific Islander Affinity Group. She has been working in education for 28 years and has taught in Arizona, Colorado, as well as in Nepal. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs with a minor in Asian Studies from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in cultural and linguistic diversity from Adams State University.

Ashley Smith

Summit Middle School, Summit School District

Ashley Smith, who has been teaching for 18 years, is known for creating meticulous lesson plans that cater to various learning styles, ensuring every student can engage with the material in a meaningful way. She is a leader in the school, mentoring other teachers and building strong and positive relationships with every student she works with. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood from Clarion University of Pennsylvania as well as a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction in Literacy from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Wanda Vasquez-Garcia

Music teacher at Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer, Boulder Valley School District

Wanda Vásquez García is a music teacher, children's choir director, advocate author, and clinician and has been an educator for 11 years. A native of the Dominican Republic and resident of Colorado, she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo and a Master's Degree in Music Education with an emphasis on choral conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. She is the general music teacher at Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer in Lafayette and a National Teacher Leader for the Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Project – National Association for Music Educators (NAfME).

Anthony Williams

Wildflower Elementary School, Harrison School District 2

Anthony Williams has been a teacher for eight years. His approach to teaching is rooted in his belief that every student has the potential to excel in mathematics. Anthony uses effective teaching methods, integrates technology into his lessons, and creates an inclusive classroom atmosphere where all students feel valued and supported. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Northern Colorado.

Jessica May, a middle school teacher at Turner Middle School in the Thompson School District, was named the 2024 Colorado Teacher of the Year today in a surprise ceremony at her school. May teaches family and consumer science at Turner Middle School in Berthoud and taught at Conrad Ball Middle School in Loveland last school year when she was nominated. She has taught for decades in the Thompson School District, covering all manner of subjects including math, social studies, science and language arts.

Read more about
Jessica May

About Colorado's Teacher of the Year Program

Honoring and Elevating Teachers

Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year Program honors an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled K-12 classroom teacher to represent the entire profession in the state. The selected teacher will automatically become Colorado's nominee for the National Teacher of the Year competition, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers

The Colorado Teacher of the Year receives many professional development opportunities and, along with the country's other teachers of the year, is honored at a special ceremony at the White House and gets the opportunity to go to NASA's Space Camp. The teacher also becomes a member of the Colorado Education Commissioner's Teacher Cabinet.

View previous Colorado Teachers of the Year

Preserving and Enhancing Teacher of the Year Programs

The Colorado Council of the Network of State Teachers of the Year (NSTOY) is an organization committed to the preservation and enhancement of the Colorado Teacher of the Year Program. The Council works with the Colorado Department of Education and other corporate and organizational partners to celebrate teaching excellence through the recognition of educators who have inspired a love for learning in their students, and who have distinguished themselves in the profession.

All Colorado State Teachers of the Year, as well as each year's finalists, are invited to participate.

Learn more on the Colorado Council's website

Program Partners

The Colorado Teacher of the Year program is sponsored by the Boettcher Foundation and supported by partnerships with the Colorado Education Association, Adams State University, Blue Bell Ice Cream, and Denver 7.