High Springs Community School science teacher Barbara Brock was named the 2026 Alachua County Teacher of the Year at the 34^th annual Robert W. Hughes Teacher of the Year ceremony on Thursday night.  

The event, which was held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville, honored 40 of Alachua County Public Schools’ (ACPS) top teachers from the elementary, middle and high school levels. It also included a performance from local students and remarks from several education leaders in Alachua County. 

During the ceremony, teachers of the year from the elementary, middle and high school levels were recognized one-by-one on stage. After their name was announced, a short video clip of each instructor was played on the projector screen. The clip included an interview with the teacher and showed him or her interacting with his or her students in the classroom. 

Brock was among three ACPS teachers selected as finalists for the districtwide Teacher of the Year award. The other two instructors were Meadowbrook Elementary School teacher Katie Dawson and Buchholz High School Advanced Placement (AP) and history teacher Ryan McNickle. 

All three of the finalists spoke at the ceremony and were introduced by students at their respective schools. The students praised the teachers for their dedication, supportive learning environments and positive impact in the classroom.  

Dawson, a third-grade teacher at Meadowbrook, was the elementary school finalist. A third-generation teacher, Dawson said she believes teaching is something she was “destined to do.” 

“This award reminds me that teaching is more than a career, but it is truly a calling,” she said in her speech. 

Brock was the finalist in the middle school level. She has taught at High Springs Community School since 2022.  

During her tenure, an ACPS release said Brock helped found a STEM club to extend students’ learning beyond the classroom and has secured more than $17,000 in grant funding to provide additional hands-on science learning for students. 

“Science doesn’t come in textbooks. It’s in the questions and it’s in the play,” Brock said during her finalist speech. 

McNickle, who was the finalist in the high school level, has taught AP and U.S. History at Buchholz since 2018. He also helped start the AP Capstone Program at the school, “which focuses on developing students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting,” according to the ACPS release. 

“One of the things that I like to spend a lot of time talking about is how to think critically,” McNickle said during his speech. “And that’s really a vague, broad idea…but it really is, I think, one of the key basics of what my students have to do in my classes. And it’s what I hope my students get out of the time they spend with me.”  

All the educators received a $500 check donated by the event’s sponsors, along with a crystal apple and a goodie bag. 

As the Alachua County Teacher of the Year, Brock will go on to represent the district in the Florida Teacher of the Year program. 

The ACPS Teacher of the Year program began in 1992 and was established by Robert W. Hughes, a former superintendent in Alachua County. The event is hosted by the Education Foundation of Alachua County (EFAC), with support from several local individuals, businesses and organizations, including primary sponsors Cox, Florida Credit Union and SWI Photographers.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.