HUSD News Stories

The Higley Unified School District is proud to recognize exceptional educators through its annual Teacher of the Year celebration. Each year, one teacher from every school across the district is honored after being selected through a nomination process as their school’s Teacher of the Year. From these nominees, a district committee conducts interviews to choose one overall Teacher of the Year in both the elementary and secondary categories. 

These awards highlight educators who continually exceed expectations and demonstrate the highest level of expertise for their students and profession. Through their dedication to high-quality instruction and individualized learning, these teachers play a vital role in preparing students for limitless opportunities. This year’s HUSD Elementary Teacher of the Year is Samantha Ganshirt from Sossaman Early Childhood Development Center, while Lexi Murphy, a math teacher at Sossaman Middle School, was named Secondary Teacher of the Year. We proudly congratulate both educators and commend them for the meaningful impact they make each day in their classrooms and school communities. 

Here are the Teacher of the Year Award Winners for 2025-2026: 

Brandy Resman Bridges Elementary School 

Susan Montenegro Centennial Elementary School 

Molly Montoya Chaparral Elementary School 

Josie Zappanti Coronado Elementary School 

Hunter Cruz Cortina Elementary School 

Sunni Davidson Gateway Pointe Elementary School 

Jeannette Costelnock Higley Traditional Academy 

Lauren Knowles Power Ranch Elementary School 

Tara Little San Tan Elementary School 

Dawn Agboola Cooley Middle School 

Alexis Murphy Sossaman Middle School 

Samantha Ganshirt Sossaman Early Childhood Development Center 

Jason Hall Higley High School 

Howard Yauney Williams Field High School 

Higley Unified School District is grateful to our Teacher of the Year event sponsors. Our Award Sponsor Concord General Contracting , our Gold Sponsors Bosch Building Technologies and ESI, our Silver Sponsors: DLR Group and Rayhons Financial, and our gift sponsor ParentSquare. Thank you for partnering with local schools and for being a part of the Higley community.