Finalists chosen for 2026-2027 BCPS Teacher, Principal,
and Assistant Principal of the Year
Finalists in each group represent elementary, middle, and high school levels
Towson, MD – Nine outstanding school educators from across Baltimore County have been
selected as this year’s finalists for the BCPS Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, and
Assistant Principal of the Year.
The honorees will be recognized at a special Champions for Children Celebration Gala at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, 938 York Rd., in Towson. At that livestreamed event, Baltimore County’s Teacher, Principal, and Assistant Principal of the Year will be chosen from among the respective finalists.
“Congratulations to each of our teacher, principal, and assistant principal finalists; they
represent the most talented and dedicated educators and administrators,” said BCPS
Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers. “Be it in the classroom or front office, they give their best every day to every student. We are inspired and impressed by these educators and thankful to them for the expertise they share with us.”
The BCPS Teacher of the Year finalists were chosen from among 164 nominees by a committee composed of BCPS administrators, staff, students, TABCO (Teachers Association of Baltimore County) representation, and current BCPS Teacher of the Year Brittany Jakubowski of Catonsville Middle School.
The three finalists will be interviewed by the selection panel next week to determine who
among them will be named 2026-2027 BCPS Teacher of the Year and then go on to represent the school system and its more than 9,500 professional educators in the Maryland Teacher ofthe Year program.
This year’s finalists are:
• Alison Benkovic, an English Language Development teacher in Grades 3-5 at Chadwick
Elementary School in Windsor Mill and the BCPS Elementary School Teacher of the Year.
• Renee O’Connell, a Grade 6 mathematics teacher at Cockeysville Middle School in
Cockeysville and the BCPS Middle School Teacher of the Year.
• Catherine Snodderly, a Grade 9 U.S. history teacher at Franklin High School in
Reisterstown and the BCPS High School Teacher of the Year.
Principal of the Year finalists this year were selected after a rigorous process that garnered 1,062 nominations from BCPS staff, students, families, and the community.
Following reviews and interviews with adjudicators from both staff and The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., the three finalists were selected.
This year’s finalists for Principal of the Year are:
• Debita Basu of Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville, the BCPS Elementary School
Principal of the Year.
• Adam Carney of Cockeysville Middle School in Cockeysville, the BCPS Middle School
Principal of the Year.
• Michael Jones of Randallstown High School in Randallstown, the BCPS High School
Principal of the Year.
Like the principal candidates, Assistant Principal of the Year finalists were nominated by BCPS staff, students, families, and the community and vetted by the same panel that adjudicated the principal finalist selection. There were 716 nominations for Assistant Principal of the Year.
This year’s finalists for Assistant Principal of the Year are:
• Brianna Hopkins of Deep Creek Elementary School in Essex, the BCPS Elementary School
Assistant Principal of the Year.
• Nathan Davis of Dundalk Middle School in Dundalk, the BCPS Middle School Assistant
Principal of the Year.
• Taylor Ransome of Parkville High School in Parkville, the BCPS High School Assistant
Principal of the Year.
In addition to these schoolhouse champions, the April 29 gala will also celebrate a variety of other all-star school supporters, including a “Rising Star” Teacher of the Year, Supervisory Leader of the Year, Supporting Services Employee of the Year, Community School Facilitator of the Year, Transportation Champion, AFSCME Employee of the Year, Volunteer Champion, and Business Partner Champion. |
