DoDEA Americas Announces 2026 District Teachers of the Year

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Americas region proudly announces the 2026 District Teachers of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast districts. Dr. Sharita Morris and Ms. Cecile Velez have been recognized for their exceptional dedication, innovative teaching methods, and profound impact on student success. These outstanding educators are now among ten finalists competing for the prestigious DoDEA Teacher of the Year award.

Dr. Sharita Morris, a first-grade teacher at Charles Murray Elementary School in the Southeast District, has been named the 2026 Southeast District Teacher of the Year. With 12 years of teaching experience, including 6 with DoDEA, Dr. Morris has distinguished herself through her leadership and commitment to creating an engaging, inclusive learning environment. Her innovative approach to differentiated instruction, highlighted as a “best practice” in the Teacher Leader Café on DoDEA Connects, has inspired students and colleagues.

Ms. Cecile Velez, a high school science and AVID elective teacher at Antilles High School in Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, has been selected as the 2026 Mid-Atlantic District Teacher of the Year. Chosen from over 340 nominees, Ms. Velez is celebrated for her dynamic teaching style, integrating inquiry-based learning, project-based instruction, and service learning into her Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science and AVID classrooms. As AVID Coordinator and Continuous School Improvement chairperson, she has driven schoolwide initiatives, leading Antilles High School to be recognized as an AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction for the 2024-2025 school year.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Sharita Morris and Ms. Cecile Velez on their well-deserved honors.